To Have and To Hold
by BeTheCheeto
Summary: Kakashi and Tenzo have just returned from a mission together. However, due to a paperwork mixup, there are some… unexpected complications. How will the two handle the situation, and will they survive it with their friendship intact? KakaYama, yaoi, warnings for language and smut
1. The Mission

**I do not own the characters nor the world of Naruto. Please enjoy my take on this particular pairing, though!**

 **xXx**

 **The Mission**

"Oh, come on, Kakashi," Tenzo teased good-naturedly. "We all know you have commitment issues, but I promise not to take advantage of you." The usually serious man winked while Tsunade and Shizune stifled their laughter with the backs of their hands. Kakashi glared at the three before directing his gaze downward, staring at Tenzo's signature on the paperwork before him. His eyes darted to the heading of the form: "Application for Licensure of Legal Marriage".

"So, our famous Copy Ninja has faced dozens of S-ranked criminals and survived, but is afraid of a little commitment?" Tsunade teased.

Kakashi turned furious eyes back at her. "Kinda hard to be afraid of something that isn't real," he said through clenched teeth.

"Come on, Kakashi, just man up and sign the damn form," Tsunade said, her irritation showing as her patience started to wear thin.

"I just don't understand why this is necessary, Lady Tsunade. Can't we just lie and say we just married? Do we actually have to go through the motions? I highly doubt they're going to check."

Tsunade glared at him. "We can't take any chances. Plus, it's not like the paperwork will ever actually get filed. It will have started to "process" and you two will be back by the time it would be completed and the processing will get cancelled."

"Come on, Kakashi. It's hardly the worst thing we've had to do for a mission," his friend said gently, trying to appeal to his friend's sense of logic and duty to his village.

Kakashi sighed, quietly enough that they couldn't hear. As uncomfortable as he was with the situation, he knew his friend and Tsunade were right. He was being unreasonable. But he wasn't about to give in that quickly. After all, he had a reputation to consider. "So, what all does the pretense of 'being married' for this mission entail, then?"

Tsunade just gave him a blank look. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi sighed again, this time for them to hear. He pretended it was out of exasperation at them and not nerves. "Well, do we have to show each other affection, or… you know…"

Tsunade looked confused for a second, and then got a horrified look on her face. "Oh, GOD, Kakashi! I should have expected as much from you! Those damn books have warped your mind!" she cried. Tenzo looked momentarily confused at her outburst, until he understood what Tsunade had picked up on. A crimson blush stained his cheeks all the way down onto his neck and he stared resolutely at the floor. Tsunade continued. "And as for your question, no. You are not required to fuck each other. That being said, you will need to sell the act. Some light hand-holding when in public, having a room with only one bed, that sort of thing."

Kakashi just looked from her to Tenzo, who was still blushing so hard that Kakashi was surprised he couldn't see steam rising from the embarrassed ANBU.

"Look, I'm sorry it has to be you two, but you are the only two who are qualified that I think can pull it off. That being said, if you can't sell it, Kakashi, I'll assign someone else." Tsunade said, her voice heavy with disappointment as she moved to take the form from in front of him.

Kakashi moved quickly. "No, it's fine. I can do this. I may not like it, but that's the mission, right?" Kakashi may be uncomfortable with the situation, but he would be damned if anyone found out that he had refused a mission for such a stupid reason.

Tsunade grinned, and Kakashi found himself wanting to punch the smirk right off her face. She had been playing him like a fiddle since he came in, and he found himself very irritated with his Hokage. "Excellent. If you'll just sign here…" She handed him a pen and pointed at the appropriate line. Kakashi signed the form without even looking at where he was signing, his eyes busy glaring at the Hokage as he intentionally made his signature unnecessarily large and messy. Tsunade just kept smiling serenely at him, as though she were perfectly innocent in this whole mess.

He put the pen down, looked to Tenzo, and said, "Meet at the gates in one hour." Tenzo, still horribly embarrassed by Kakashi's earlier question, just nodded at the floor, unable to look into the eyes of his senpai after such a ludicrous suggestion. With that, Kakashi strode from the room, head held high.

Tsunade turned to Tenzo. "You are dismissed." The man nodded at the floor again before disappearing in a puff of smoke. As soon as they were gone, Tsunade busted out laughing at the situation she had put two of her most serious and emotionally damaged shinobi in. Being the Hokage was a stressful job, so she had to take her amusement where she could get it. Although, she'd be lying if she said she didn't hope the two reaped some benefits from the mission. After all, although she did enjoy tormenting her subordinates, she inherently cared about all of them, and the way Tenzo and Kakashi shut everyone out concerned her. She was hoping that the intimacy of having to fake a relationship may open the two up to realize that it might not be so bad for them to find partners.

xXx

Tenzo growled in frustration. As usual, Kakashi was late. Tenzo had arrived at the meeting place five minutes early, as his belief was that a true shinobi should be punctual. However, leave it to his senpai to prove him wrong while still having the ability to run circles around him in terms of skill. It had always been a source of frustration to him that his friend constantly challenged his personal definition of a shinobi. In his mind, a shinobi should be the three 'P's: punctual, professional, and powerful. Kakashi was only one of those, and yet… he was a stronger shinobi than most of Konoha's regular forces combined. However, Tenzo had never had the strength of will to confront his senpai on the matter. After all, he had saved his life when Danzo had planned to execute him for insubordination. Since that day, Tenzo had never really felt he had the right to tell the man that his way was wrong, since if Kakashi had followed his own provisions for a shinobi, he would have died at 14.

However, that didn't stop him from expressing his frustration at Kakashi's lack of both punctuality and professionalism when the man finally did show up, nearly four hours late.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted, waving one hand while directing a crinkle-eyed smile at his kohai. He received a glare in response.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting for hours!" Tenzo yelled, his frustration boiling over into full-fledged anger.

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "After all the missions you've been on with me, you should just expect that I won't be on time, Tenzo," he teased. "Now, come on. We need to leave now if we want to reach the village by nightfall."

"Would've had plenty of time to get there if you would've been on time," Tenzo grumbled as he picked up his pack from where he had dropped it while waiting for Kakashi.

"What was that?" Kakashi called over his shoulder, his voice sounding sweet as he feigned innocence.

"Nothing," Tenzo grumbled. As much as he would love to confront the man, he knew it would do no good. After all, the Copy Ninja was well-known for being as stubborn as he was powerful. So instead, he just sighed and trailed after the man, wondering how the hell he hadn't been beaten to death by some of the other ninja of the Leaf village yet. He smiled at the thought of some of the reactions he imagined his comrades would have at Kakashi's tardiness, and amused himself for most of the journey with mental images of Kakashi meeting his comrades wrath at his lack of professionalism. He particularly liked it when a certain purple-haired kunoichi was the one whose reaction he imagined… After all, Anko's rage was certainly amusing to all those who hadn't fallen victim to it.

When they finally reached the village, Tenzo was too tired to do anything but fall onto the king-sized bed that was the predominant occupant of their hotel suite. As per mission details, they had been given the honeymoon suite, which was actually quite nice. It included a whirlpool tub that sounded amazing to try out, and Tenzo fully intended to take advantage of that as soon as he was done resting his sore muscles. It wasn't that he had been very tired out by this mission, but he had just come off a rather grueling mission just a few days prior, and his body was still angry at him for some of the bruises and cuts he had received. The whirlpool may be just the thing he needed…

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at his friend's sigh as the down comforter poofed up around him when he flopped onto his back on the bed. "That good, huh?" he teased suggestively, causing the ANBU to shoot up into a sitting position, a blush already gracing his fair skin.

"Uh… yeah. It's p-pretty comfy. I'm gonna g-go take a b-bath…" he stuttered out quickly before rushing into the bathroom. Kakashi watched him go with curiosity before moving around the room to get himself settled in.

Tenzo closed the bathroom door and locked it, leaning against it in relief. For some reason, this mission had him on edge, even though there was next to no risk assigned to it assuming they played their cards right. He tried to calm his nerves. Dammit, why did Kakashi have to be so creepy all the time? Why couldn't he just act like a normal person, and not one of the heroes from those damn dirty books of his?

Tenzo sighed, heading over to the tub and running the water as hot as he could stand it. While the tub filled, he stripped off his clothes and stepped in, moaning in relief as the hot water started to relax his tense muscles. He lazed in the water, allowing his mind to wander as he unconsciously massaged his sore muscles under the water. He stayed in the tub until the water cooled, rinsing himself off with hot water from the shower after draining the tub as he quickly scrubbed his body clean.

He climbed out of the tub, and cursed silently as he toweled himself off, realizing that he had forgotten clean clothes in his haste to get away from his partner. He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out into the bedroom, hoping that Kakashi would already have fallen asleep. As it happened, no such luck. The man in question instinctively looked up at the sound of the door from the bed, where he had made himself comfortable under the covers with his Icha Icha, his pale chest bare and exposed as he leaned back against the headboard. He took in Tenzo's damp skin and barely covered body and smirked.

"You know, Tenzo, Lady Tsunade said 'appearances only'. You don't have to present yourself to me," he said, a teasing glint in his one visible eye. Tenzo blushed crimson as he muttered something about having forgotten clothes while he headed to his pack. He vaguely felt Kakashi's eye follow him for a moment before the man's attention returned to his book. When he was sure Kakashi wasn't looking, he pulled clean sweats out of his pack and dropped his towel, pulling his clothes on as quickly as possible.

He looked nervously at the bed, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you coming to bed?" he asked, and Tenzo was pleasantly surprised to hear that there wasn't a drop of suggestiveness behind his voice. This was a situation that would get very awkward very fast if Kakashi decided to be his creepy, perverted self. He slowly moved the covers aside, careful not to uncover Kakashi (for all he knew, the man slept in the nude. And Lord knows he probably wouldn't have the shame to change his habits just for the sake of this mission), and he quickly dived underneath them. He turned slowly to his bedmate when he felt the man's curious gaze on him, and was met with the sight of one amused onyx eye.

"Who would have guessed that our oh-so-professional Tenzo sleeps commando?" Tenzo blushed furiously and flipped himself over so his back was to Kakashi, the covers gathered around his face. He heard a light chuckle behind him as Kakashi turned off his bedside lamp and settled deep into the blankets, as well. Tenzo didn't dare risk movement until he heard the sounds of deep, even breathing coming from behind him, turning on his back only when he was certain the man beside him was asleep. He turned to see the man sleeping peacefully beside him, breathing a sigh of relief that he was finally alone with his thoughts. It hadn't even been a full day, and the man was making him uncomfortable. This would be a long week…

xXx

The next morning, he awoke to an empty bed. 'Wow, Kakashi must get up early,' he thought to himself, looking around the room and finding no trace of the man anywhere. Just as he was thinking he should get up and go look for him, the man in question strode through the door of their room, handing Tenzo a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop. Tenzo was a little confused by the kind gesture, but smiled gratefully at Kakashi as he took the steaming cup. He took a sip and closed his eyes, allowing his enjoyment to read like a book on his face. This was good coffee. He felt eyes on him, and looked to find Kakashi watching him with amusement. He quickly rearranged his features. "Um… thanks."

Kakashi smiled. "Well, I always like to be nice to the men I spend the night with," he said suggestively. Tenzo blushed and instantly, his gratitude towards Kakashi boiled over into irritation.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked, glaring at Kakashi. The silver haired jonin just shrugged, ignoring Tenzo's question as he turned his attention to the mission at hand.

"So, what is our plan for this?" he asked, picking up the mission brief as if nothing had ever happened. Tenzo sighed. It was the best he was going to get.

xXx

The mission had been a simple one, gather information on a gang operating a human trafficking ring in a nearby spa town, kidnapping women there for bachelorette parties or girl's nights and the like. The cover was that they were a honeymooning couple, and they had been able to not only gather all the information they needed, but save several girls from the clutches of the kidnappers in the meantime. One of the very grateful girls, a woman by the name of Emi, was actually from the Leaf, here to meet some friends from the Cloud, where she had used to live. Kakashi and Tenzo agreed to take her home safely, as she was very shaken by the experience.

As they escorted the woman back to the Leaf, Kakashi couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched his oblivious friend talk at the woman as she hit on him shamelessly. Finally, when they stopped to take a break, Kakashi decided to do his friend a favor and point out the woman's interest. As expected, Tenzo blushed furiously and was unable to speak coherently to the woman the rest of the way back home. Kakashi released a sad sigh for his hopeless friend as he watched the pair interact awkwardly the rest of the way home. He really had been trying to help…

When they reached the gates, it was just after midnight. All Kakashi could think about was sleeping alone, in his own bed. Tenzo, for all his plusses as a bedmate, was definitely a cuddler, and that had made for some awkward mornings for Kakashi. Fortunately, he was able to wake up before Tenzo every morning and disentangle himself from the man's limbs, wrapped in complex patterns around his body. Though he had been sorely tempted to tease the man about his cuddling habit, he had decided that it could wait until they had returned home. But for now, he was going to sleep in. The Hokage had requested them to be debriefed at 8 am, but he smiled to himself, knowing that even the wrath of the Hokage wouldn't drag him out of bed before 10, if even then.


	2. Month 1

**Warnings** : Accidental sexual contact and swearing

* * *

By the time Kakashi had finally pulled his happy ass out of bed, it was 11. He smirked as he looked at the clock, imagining how cute his kohai must look waiting for him at the Hokage office, that all-too-familiar expression of mixed irritation and reverence (though Kakashi didn't think the younger man was aware of the second) plainly etched on his face. He looked forward to the way that he knew Tenzo would turn to him and berate him for making him wait for hours and waste his day off, etc. And of course, Tsunade would just smirk in the background and nod sagely as Kakashi was reprimanded by his subordinate. He chuckled lightly at the scene that awaited him as he bustled about his apartment, getting ready for their meeting.

He took his time walking to the Hokage's office, one hand in his pocket, the other holding Icha Icha in front of his face so no one would talk to him. In reality, he hardly ever actually paid attention to the storyline while walking. He mostly just used the book to make people leave him alone so that he could be alone with his own thoughts wherever he went. Today, he was taking advantage of that by imagining his kohai's face growing more and more furious with every minute that dragged by, Tsunade tapping her fingers impatiently on her desk while he knew she was secretly glad to have an excuse for a reprieve from the paperwork Shizune was always shoving at her. He smiled to himself.

When he did arrive at the Hokage's office, he knocked once on the door before letting himself in. His eyes scanned the room and quickly took in that Tenzo was not present. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where is Tenzo?" he asked Tsunade, before he had even greeted her.

Tsunade looked up at him with a smirk. "Well, good morning to you, too, brat."

"It's nearly afternoon," Kakashi said drily. He glanced at the clock, and sure enough, it had just struck 11:48. "Where is Tenzo?"

Tsunade laughed lightly. "He'll be along soon. You see, you and Tenzo work well together, so I want you to continue as a good pairing. However, your constant tardiness drives him bonkers. So, when I told you I wanted to see you at 8 am, I lied. I knew that even you wouldn't dare be more than four hours late to a meeting with the Hokage. I actually wanted to see you two at noon, a fact that I relayed to Tenzo." She smirked, clearly proud of herself with this little stunt.

Kakashi scowled. He hated being played, and was a little upset with Tenzo for not telling him. He could still be in bed right now. He didn't actually have to show up until 4! He put on a fake crinkle-eyed smile and was just about to start plotting his revenge when the door swung open behind him. He turned to see Tenzo walk in, who smiled brightly at seeing that his senpai was already here. Tenzo was already starting to like Tsunade's plan. This was a nice change of pace from the usual.

"Alright, now let's get down to business." She gestured to the chairs in front of her, but both men opted to stand. They weren't really men who liked inaction, and instead stood and wandered the room as they gave their report. When the report was completed, Tsunade cleared her throat, and her voice went quiet. "Now, I have something else to talk to you two about. Please sit down." She again indicated the chairs in front of her, but it was clear that this time, sitting was not optional.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, and he and Tenzo exchanged a look. 'This couldn't be good,' they said to each other with their eyes. Still, they sat, and Tsunade smiled that neither of them seemed to be in a particularly resistant mood. "Now, you two have both been in our ranks for a long time, and have done a lot of good for our village. And I hope you know just how much we all appreciate all that you have done, all that you have sacrificed for our village."

Kakashi watched Tsunade, his eyes narrowing even more with each compliment and mention of their sacrifice. They both had already figured out that either Tsunade had bad news for them, or they were about to get sent on a very dangerous or crap mission. Kakashi knew that Tenzo was already starting to get concerned, but that the man was too polite and too professional to say anything. "Cut the crap, Tsunade. What's going on?" Kakashi asked curtly.

Tsunade sighed. "Well, I have something I need to discuss with the two of you. And it's not going to be pleasant."

Kakashi just made his face stony and unreadable. "What's the mission?" he asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "No mission this time."

Kakashi nodded. 'Bad news, then,' he thought to himself. He took another glance at Tenzo and realized the man had come to the same conclusion. Kakashi squeezed his hands into tight fists at his side, resisting the urge to close his eye as he heard the bad news. Two words were repeating through his head like a mantra. 'Who died?'

Tsunade was visibly uncomfortable as Kakashi and Tenzo sat in front of her. She didn't look at them, which caused them to shift their eyes questioningly to each other. Tenzo took note of Kakashi's tense body language, and released a deep breath, turning back to their village leader. "What did you need, Lady Tsunade?" he asked, bracing himself for the bad news as well.

"Well, I have to tell you two… There's been sort of a mix-up…" she said, looking from one man to the other. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her while Tenzo waited patiently for her to explain. She sighed. "So, you remember your last mission, right? The preparation we made."

The two men nodded, Tenzo looking down at the floor uncomfortably. As Kakashi was still looking at her, Tsunade spoke primarily to him. "Well, there was a mistake in the missions room and your… paperwork… got filed on accident."

Kakashi's eyebrow went higher. "So, what are you saying, Lady Tsunade?" he asked.

She sighed. "I'm saying that you two are legally married." Tenzo's head jolted up from the floor, his eyes wide in shock as he stared at the Hokage. Kakashi just sat there, stunned, before turning his head to look at his friend… his husband, who was pointedly not looking at him.

"So… I guess we'll get a divorce?" Kakashi asked, looking from Tenzo to Tsunade. Tenzo nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it can't be that hard since we're both willing, right? Just sign some paperwork and everything goes back to normal." He breathed a sigh of relief that Kakashi was being so level-headed about this. Sometimes, that man was just too stubborn for his own good, and he got way too much enjoyment out of tormenting Tenzo. He remembered them being assigned the mission, and cringed inwardly. He was grateful that Kakashi had his head on straight today.

Kakashi stared when Tsunade just directed her eyes towards her desk, shuffling some paperwork around as she stalled. "What is it?" he asked drily.

She looked up at them sheepishly. "Well, it's just that… village law states that a married couple cannot get a divorce unless they have lived together for at least a year."

"Well, I'm sure that's for couples who actually meant to get married. This was for a mission. Can't the elders…"

Tsunade shook her head. "I've already spoken to the elders. They are unwilling to budge on this point. They claim that if they allow you to do it, it sets a precedent that will have ninjas claiming that they had to get married for the sake of the mission in order to get their divorce."

Kakashi and Tenzo gaped at Tsunade. Tenzo was the first to come to his senses. "Well, then, I guess Kakashi and I will have to be roommates for the next year. We can get a two-bedroom apartment, and then in a year, we'll get a divorce." Tsunade still looked uncomfortable. Tenzo glared at her. "What?"

"Well… it's just that… in order for the year to count…" Tsunade trailed off, mumbling something.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrow raising as he fought to convince himself that he hadn't heard her right.

Tsunade sighed, looking up to face two of her strongest, proudest shinobi. "In order for the year to count, you have to share a bed."

The two ninja took in her words, their faces almost simultaneously registering shock, then horror, and finally, outrage.

"They can't tell us that we have to sleep together!" Tenzo yelled.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Except that's exactly what they did for the mission that got us into this mess," he reasoned. Tsunade looked at him hopefully, praying that he would be reasonable about this. He sighed. "So what do we do now?" he asked her.

"Well, I figure you guys have done stuff like this before, right? I mean, they aren't saying you have to have sex, just sleep in the same bed. So just treat it like a long-term mission and get it over with." She started to say something else, but hesitated, looking from the resigned Hatake to the outraged wood-style user. "Look, I am really sorry about all of this, but I have done all I can on my end. My hands are tied. Now, I think you two should take some time to process this, and we can discuss it again later. You're dismissed."

The two men walked from the room as if in a daze. They were both thinking the same thing: 'This is gonna get awkward…'

* * *

"Come on, Kakashi. It won't be that bad. It will be just like when ninja have to huddle together for missions to stay warm." So much for the silver-haired ninja being reasonable today. The two had gathered at Kakashi's apartment, mostly because the older man had refused to speak to Tenzo as they walked and the frustrated wood-user had followed him here in an effort to force him to talk.

Kakashi growled in frustration. "Yeah, and that's hard enough for me…" he muttered, clearly not intending the younger man to hear.

Tenzo glared at the man. "Look, I know that contact is still a little out of the ordinary for you, but it's not like we'll be cuddling or anything. And I, for one, don't plan on dying married to you. So will you just tell me what it is that's got your undies in a bunch over this?"

Kakashi just glared at his friend, before turning around and pulling his Icha Icha from his pocket. "Oh, no you don't. We're resolving this issue, right now!" Tenzo yelled, grabbing the book and throwing it at the opposite wall, earning him a murderous glare from the older ninja. "We've had to huddle for missions before, tell me why this is different."

"It's long term… we'd be living together… you'd have to see my face… pick one." Kakashi said, standing to retrieve his book. He was trying to keep the real reason off his face, cursing how expressive his one eye could be when he hadn't had time to properly suppress an emotion.

"I can't believe you!" Tenzo yelled. He stood, tugging at his hair in frustration as he thought through their situation. "You know what, I don't even care. I'm moving in, and I will get us out of this mess whether you like it or not!"

Kakashi turned right before bending to pick up his book, shock and horror written on his face. "Wh… no!" he yelled back. "This is my apartment! You can't just announce that you're moving in!"

Tenzo crossed his arms over his chest. "I can, and I did. Now, what are you going to do about it?" he asked with a sneer.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "Tenzo… you do not want to live with me, and you really don't want to sleep in the same bed with me…" he gritted through his teeth.

Tenzo just gave him an 'oh, really' look. "And why is that?"

Kakashi glared. "Because… it will be… uncomfortable…"

Tenzo got impatient with Kakashi's games. "Just spit it out already! Why are you so against us doing this so we can get out of this mess?!"

"BECAUSE I'M GAY!" Kakashi shouted, his frustration boiling over. He smacked his palm against his forehead as soon as the words were out of his mouth, realizing that not only had he just come out of the closet for the first time to anyone other than his lovers, he had done so loudly, in his own apartment. He averted his eyes from Tenzo, who he could feel staring at him in shock.

Tenzo stared at the silver-haired man, unable to form words. "I… you… umm… what?" he finally asked.

Kakashi sighed as he looked at his dumbstruck friend. "I'm gay, Tenzo. Have been for years. Sleeping with a straight man is something that's very uncomfortable for me to do, especially…" He realized where he was headed with that sentence, and his mouth snapped shut, but it was too late.

"Especially what?" Tenzo asked quietly.

Kakashi sighed again, knowing the ANBU wouldn't let this go until he got his answer. "Especially attractive straight men." He looked at Tenzo and watched as his brows knitted together in confusion before realization dawn on his face.

"So you… you're attracted to me?" Kakashi just stared, unable to form words to (falsely) deny it but unwilling to admit it. Tenzo gaped at him. "You know, you really should tell someone that before you sleep with them!" he yelled.

His words elicited a chuckle from the silver-haired jonin. "I've always figured if I'm sleeping with them, they already know," he said, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively.

Tenzo blushed crimson when he realized the double entendre of his words. "You know what I mean…" he muttered, pouting like a child at Kakashi's teasing. The older man couldn't help but think how adorable he was.

Kakashi sighed. "You're still not going to give up on this, are you?" Tenzo nodded resolutely. Kakashi sighed again. "So, your place or mine?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, since no matter what I say, you'll probably be the stubborn ass you always are, I guess I should just agree to your place now, huh?" Tenzo asked, tired at just the thought of an argument with the manipulative jonin. Kakashi smirked under his mask.

"So, I guess you'll want to go get some of your stuff, then?" he asked, shooting Tenzo a crinkle-eyed smile that the ANBU knew to interpret as smug. Tenzo sighed. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

Tenzo yawned as he stretched his arms, his back arching off the bed before collapsing back with a satisfied sigh. As usual, Kakashi had gotten up before him, and as Tenzo's stretching arm ventured to the other man's side of the bed, he found the sheets to be cold. The man had probably been up for hours. He had been truly surprised upon moving in with Kakashi that the man was a morning person. He had always expected that Kakashi was always late because he slept in, but apparently, that wasn't it.

Tenzo had been living with Kakashi for nearly a week, and so far, it had been OK. He still had yet to see Kakashi's face, though he had noticed Kakashi tugging uncomfortably at his mask out of the corners of his eyes, clearly not used to wearing it in his own home. Tenzo had encouraged him on several occasions to take it off, under the guise of being concerned for his friend's comfort (in all reality, he just wanted to be able to brag about being one of very few who had seen the Copy Ninja's true face). However, Kakashi had seen straight through that, though he always went to bed after and woke up before Tenzo, so Tenzo imagined he didn't sleep in it. He had even tried staying up really late in order to convince the ninja to take it off and sleep before him, but his plan had not worked, and it had just led to a very grumpy and sleep-deprived ninja who made the next day hell, so Tenzo vowed not to do that again.

Other than that, it had been smooth sailing. Both men kept to themselves for the most part, and while it was not easy for two eternal-bachelor types to adjust their lives around each other, they were managing well, in Tenzo's opinion, though secretly Kakashi did not agree. He was not getting nearly enough sleep, too afraid of waking up in an uncomfortable situation that would thoroughly disgust and horrify his friend, so he slept very lightly and not very long.

He knew that if he wanted to survive the next year, he would have to become accustomed to sleeping in bed with an attractive man that he couldn't have, but he wasn't even used to staying the night after sex, so he really didn't know what to do in this situation. He sighed as he looked at the memorial stone in front of him. "Well, Obito, what the fuck am I supposed to do?" For a moment, he could have sworn he heard the mischievous boy's mocking laugh on the wind.

* * *

Tenzo awoke to a feeling of being suffocated and stabbed. His first thought was that he was being attacked, but as his brain woke and registered the feeling, he realized it was really more like being subdued. So, Tenzo took advantage of the time that his captor was holding him to take note of the situation. His brain started processing the attacker's body location before he was even conscious enough to move. 'One leg over my thighs, arm in a vice around my chest, some sort of blunt weapon pressed against my thigh…'

His brain was fully awake now, and he cracked one eye barely open to see that he was still in their room in Kakashi's apartment. He grimaced in confusion and concern. If someone was attacking him in Kakashi's room, then where was Kakashi? Why had he not stopped the intruder? Suddenly, a light snore from his 'captor' led Tenzo's brain to finally register the situation.

He wasn't being attacked. He was just in bed with Kakashi, who was cuddled up to him for dear life. Tenzo felt his body relax as his eyes rolled at the man. He processed the discomfort lodged against his thigh. 'I always knew Kakashi was paranoid, but I didn't realize he slept with a weapon,' he thought to himself. He tried to ponder what it may be. Nunchaku? Some sort of blade handle? No, Kakashi hadn't really used blades since his family sword had been destroyed. Curious, he reached down to 'accidentally' brush the item to get a better feel for it.

He instantly blushed profusely. Just one touch had told him everything he needed to know. The 'object' was large and hard, pressed up against his thigh by Kakashi's hips. There was an extra layer of cloth separating Tenzo's fingers from the 'weapon'. And, as if that hadn't been enough for the younger man to figure out what it was, the moan that Kakashi let out in his sleep when Tenzo touched it sure as hell told him.

He quickly yanked his fingers back, his heart racing, trying not to panic so that he didn't wake Kakashi. He tried to take deep breaths to calm his racing heart as he tried to process. 'I just touched Senpai's cock!' he thought to himself. His hands were shaking. He decided that as things stood, there was no way he was going to be able to stay still enough to not wake Kakashi, so he quickly and easily slid out of the bed, sneaking furtive glances at the silver-haired man still tangled in the sheets as he did so, making sure he was still asleep. When he was sure had had successfully achieved his mission, he quickly hurried to the bathroom, closing the door quickly but quietly behind him.

* * *

Kakashi heard the door click shut, and risked cracking an eye and seeing his bedroom empty. He smirked. Who would have known his little kohai could be such a pervert? He had awoken to light struggles as Tenzo's body fought his embrace, and had considered releasing the man, but was curious as to what his reaction would be to the same situation Kakashi had found himself in every morning for the last few weeks.

When Tenzo's body had gone completely rigid against him, he could tell that Tenzo was evaluating him as if he was some sort of assailant. He had almost released him then, not wanting to wake up to a punch in the face this morning, but then the man in his grasp had relaxed, obviously realizing that he was not under attack. And having Tenzo cuddled in his arms, his leg draped intimately around his thighs, felt so nice that Kakashi was not ready to give it up just yet. So he held on. 'Only for another minute,' he had told himself.

Suddenly, he had felt a wandering hand touch his hard length, pressed up against Tenzo's thigh. He had been so surprised that he couldn't fight the moan that escaped his throat. He didn't know exactly what Tenzo had been going for, but he had certainly not expected those wicked fingers to curl around him and drag over his shaft. And suddenly, the feeling had been gone. Kakashi figured Tenzo had probably been scared off by his moan. But he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had he been able to keep it in.

He smiled to himself. Maybe he wasn't the only one who had a hard time sleeping next to another man…


	3. Month 2

It had been nearly three days since the whole cock-groping incident, and Kakashi had seen Tenzo only once. The man had taken to only coming to the apartment to shower and sleep, and Kakashi was starting to worry about him. Finally, on the third day of this behavior, he decided to confront the man. So, when Tenzo walked in the door at 11:30 that night, Kakashi was leaning in the door to the bathroom, waiting for him. Tenzo became clearly uncomfortable when he saw him standing there, but quickly tried to hide it. Kakashi watched him fumble around the bedroom for a moment before he snuck up, wrapping his arms teasingly around his waist.

Tenzo quickly flung himself away from the man's embrace. He pressed his back flat against the wall, staring at Kakashi as if the man had gone mad, his chest heaving with each breath. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he yelled.

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "So what? You're the only one of us that can unexpectedly grope someone?"

Tenzo blushed furiously, turning his face to the side. "I… I don't know what you're talking about…" he managed to stutter out.

Kakashi sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, I was going to make this easy for you, but since you want to be difficult… I'm talking about you grabbing my cock in bed the other day." He shot the other man a lecherous grin.

Tenzo's face flew to Kakashi's, mortification clearly evident on his face. "You were awake?!" The words were barely a whisper, but they made Kakashi smile.

"Well, yeah, believe it or not, getting a hand job has a great potential to wake the person receiving it. Now, don't get me wrong, if you want to grab my cock, feel free. I'll be happy to oblige, though you may want to wait until I'm more fully awake if you don't want to find yourself in a situation where you may be in over your head… or perhaps under mine." Tenzo shot Kakashi a horrified look at this blatant innuendo. The silver-haired jonin rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a dirty grin on his unmasked face before shrugging and turning his attention back to Tenzo. "But I feel like that particular situation did not go according to plan, and that is why you've been avoiding me. So, as much as I hate talking about things, I think this is something we need to get out of the way."

"I… I don't want to," Tenzo blurted before trying to scurry into the bathroom like a frightened mouse. Kakashi easily blocked his path.

"Tenzo…" he drawled. He was surprised to find himself suddenly restrained by tendrils of wood coming out of the floor, and found himself flung across the room onto the bed. He heard the door click, and sighed, flopping back onto the bed. "That's a hugely unnecessary waste of chakra!" he yelled after the wood user through the bathroom door, not moving from the bed. After all, eventually, the man had to come out of the bathroom.

xXx

Tenzo slumped against the door, squeezing his eyes shut tight. He had known that coming into the bathroom was only a temporary solution, and using his wood chakra to restrain Kakashi had probably just made the situation worse, as now Kakashi was probably reading something into the situation that wasn't there. Truth be told, Tenzo just wanted to forget this had ever happened and go on to living his life the way he had before he lived with Kakashi. At this point, the idea of staying married to Kakashi the rest of his life was looking better, as long as he didn't have to have this inevitable conversation with the irritating ninja.

Tenzo stepped into the shower, contemplating what he should do about the predicament he currently found himself in. On the one hand, he could tell the truth and admit to Kakashi that he had thought that particular piece of his anatomy was a weapon. However, being a shinobi of his caliber, it was entirely too embarrassing to admit that he had confused… _that_ for a weapon. On the other hand, he didn't have a good and believable cover story for why else he would have groped his bedmate so intimately that wouldn't lead to much more awkward conversations.

He sighed as he got out of the shower, toweling off as slowly as possible to avoid going out to where Kakashi was as long as he could. However, eventually, he was dry and sighed as he looked for his clothes, freezing as he realized that in his haste to get away from Kakashi, he had left them out in the bedroom… again. He panicked, not wanting to do what he knew he had to do. He knew Kakashi would still be in the room, waiting for him, and there was nowhere else he could go, as their bathroom had no windows. He knotted his towel around his waist, swallowing hard as he reached out a shaky hand for the door knob. He cursed himself; why the hell was he acting this way? It was only Kakashi, not like there was a firing squad out there or something.

Though at this point, that might be preferable. But instead, he took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping into the cooler air of the bedroom. Instantly, Kakashi's eyes locked on him, and Tenzo blushed when his eyes unintentionally raked over Kakashi's nearly-naked form as the man lounged on their bed in only boxers, reading his Icha Icha. One raised eyebrow and a smirk told him all he needed to know, and he crossed the room to his dresser as quickly as possible.

True to his reputation, Tenzo didn't even hear the other ninja until hands were on his waist. "So, is this what you were planning when you groped me the other night?" Kakashi teased. Tenzo let out a yelp and jumped away from the man when he nipped his earlobe.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he cried, clutching the night shirt he had just pulled from his dresser to his bare chest, which was heaving.

Kakashi sighed. "I'm trying to get you to finish this damn conversation," he said exasperatedly.

Tenzo growled in frustration. "Why do we even have to HAVE the conversation? Why can't we just forget it happened and move on?" he begged, backing away as Kakashi took a step forward.

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "You think I want to talk about this? Tenzo, you have to look at this from my perspective. I am a man who likes men, am sleeping in the same bed every night with a man that I have admitted to being attracted to, and woke up to said man groping me. I hope you can understand why I might be a little confused by the situation." His eyes pled with Tenzo to answer him.

Tenzo froze, blinking stupidly as his hands dropped to his sides, the shirt hanging loosely from his fingertips. "I… I hadn't thought about it like that…" he whispered.

Kakashi nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, well, that's the only way I have to think about it. So, can we please just talk about this? I want to know what the hell was going on in your head, what I can expect from you. Because otherwise, the next time I wake up to you groping me, I'm just going to say, I'm going for it."

Tenzo knew his face was beet red, and Kakashi's last comment was the only thing that inspired him to speak. "Ithoughtitwasaweapon…" he blurted quickly.

Kakashi turned confused eyes on him. "What?"

Tenzo took a deep breath, staring at the floor. "Your… you know. I'm not used to sleeping next to people, so when I woke up and there was a person around me, I assumed I was on a mission and had been captured or something, and that… that your…thing… was a weapon…" he muttered.

Kakashi blinked at him for a moment, processing, before he started laughing. He laughed so hard he fell on the bed while Tenzo glared at him. When the silver-haired man had finally stopped laughing, he turned his eyes on Tenzo. "Alright, you can't make that shit up," he said, his eyes slowly turning from amused to apologetic. "Look, I'm sorry about the other night, if I made you uncomfortable… I wasn't trying to. I really thought you wanted it. I would never have touched you if I knew that your reason for touching me was so… innocent," he said, chortling.

Tenzo blushed bright red again, still staring at his feet. "It's fine," he mumbled, just loud enough for the other to hear. "I mean, if a girl had done that to me, I probably would have thought the same…"

Kakashi smiled, still chuckling. "Alright, well, let's go to bed. No funny business," he told Tenzo sternly, his eye twinkling with mischief.

Tenzo shifted and muttered, "Shut up," prompting one last laugh from the Copy Ninja before they went to bed.


	4. Month 3

Hey, sorry I haven't been posting lately. I've primarily switched over to AO3 to post my stories (more smut and user friendly!) and so I have been focusing on that and forgot to post the latest chapter here! I am working on some other KakaYama stuff (not up yet on AO3, but working on it!) and it is not in my plans to post here, but feel free to head over to my AO3 profile and keep an eye out! That said, I am not abandoning the works I have on here, and will continue to post the remainder of this story, but I will not deny that this is a slow-going one for me. But here is the most recent chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

It was almost two and a half months before Tenzo got a chance to see Kakashi's face for the first time. The other man had been on his first serious mission since their "marriage" began. He had been on missions, of course, as this was a requirement of their job, but this was the first that had lasted more than a few days. It had been treacherous, and Kakashi had had to be on high alert essentially the whole time, leaving him not only chakra drained, but physically and emotionally exhausted, as well. He had been in the hospital but, in typical Kakashi fashion, had snuck out to rest in the comfort of his own home.

As Kakashi now had someone at home that could make sure "the stupidest genius I ever knew" (Tsunade's exact words) didn't overdo it. As a result, she sent Tenzo home early so he could tend to the man without him realizing it, though neither of them believed that last part. Kakashi may be stupid when it came to self-care, but he had definitely earned the title of genius.

When Tenzo got back to the apartment, he had almost panicked for a moment when Kakashi was neither in the kitchen or living room. He did, however, find the man passed out in his boxers on the bed, blankets still beneath him. Tenzo couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head slowly as he looked at the stubborn man that he had to admit was probably his closest friend. Being in ANBU, one didn't typically have time for friends. This last two and a half months of rest had been unprecedented for Tenzo, and only given to him because of the declaration that he and Kakashi had to live together for a set amount of time, meaning that if he was taking non-stop missions in and out of the village, that time wouldn't count after a certain period. As a result, he was essentially on light duty for the next year, unable to go on missions that would last longer than a few weeks, something that had Tsunade raring to kill the missions desk staff that had incapacitated him by filing that paperwork.

But as he leaned over the bed to turn on the bedside lamp, not wanting to turn on the overhead and risk waking the sleeping ninja, his eyes widened and he found himself face-to-face with Kakashi… Kakashi's BARE face. He jolted back to get a better look and found that he couldn't help but stare. He didn't think he'd ever seen such an attractive man in his life. Kakashi's features were perfectly proportioned, his chiseled jawbone tapering into a sharp chin that somehow just suited him.

Tenzo pulled back nervously when the figure in the bed started slowly rousing. One grey eye cracked open, and Kakashi blinked the sleep from his eyes as he struggled to focus on the man standing over him. It was a testament to just how exhausted Kakashi was that he hadn't attacked Tenzo as soon as he felt his presence, and Tenzo knew this.

"T...Tenzo?" Kakashi asked groggily.

Tenzo smiled softly and lifted Kakashi's body slightly to pull the blankets over him. "It's me, don't worry. Go to sleep."

Kakashi smiled gently as one hand reached out to lazily stroke the side of Tenzo's face. "You're pretty…" he slurred. Tenzo's eyes shot wide in shock and he jerked back, but Kakashi had already drifted to sleep.

He slipped into the bathroom in case Kakashi woke up again. He managed to calm his breathing, but he was so confused. His heart was racing, and there were butterflies in his stomach. Why did he feel this way? Why wasn't he disgusted by Kakashi complimenting him, touching him like that? I mean, he and Kakashi had touched plenty of times before, and though he hadn't known Kakashi was gay at the time, he would never have rejected the contact. He wasn't homophobic, just not homosexual. However, the way Kakashi had touched him just now… that was how you touched a lover, not a friend. Did Kakashi see him that way? He had admitted to being attracted to him… was it possible that his attraction ran deeper than just a physical one?

Tenzo forced himself to breathe normally. Whatever the case may be, there was no point in dwelling on it now. He needed to get some sleep, as he was sure that trying to keep Kakashi from over-exerting himself for the next week or so would be a full time job

When he headed back into the bedroom, he forced himself to remain calm as he climbed into bed next to the silver-haired man. He froze when the body in the bed moved towards him, arms wrapping around his torso and cuddling him close before releasing him with a sigh of contentment. He struggled gently to escape Kakashi's vise-like grip, but found he couldn't. As a result, he drifted into an uneasy sleep, full of confusing dreams of pale skin and gentle touches.

xXx

When Tenzo awoke the next day, Kakashi was gone, as he usually was. Tenzo groaned, dropping back onto the bed. Tsunade was going to hang him if anything happened to the jonin, but he knew one of two things: either Kakashi was at the Memorial Stone, and would be upset to be bothered, or Tenzo would spend all morning traipsing about the village searching for him and not manage to find him. It seemed that Kakashi only ever wanted to interact with his kohai when it was convenient for him, and as a result, played a very strong game of hide-and-seek every time Tenzo tried to seek him out.

Tenzo sighed as he decided it wasn't worth trying to chase the man down. This was his home, after all. He had to return eventually; Tenzo just hoped he did so before he passed out from using up too much energy gallivanting around town, doing… well, whatever the hell it is that Kakashi did all day.

In the meantime, Tenzo was enjoying the his day off. Normally, he was a very productive person, bustling around from sunup to sundown and hardly even taking a break until it was time to go to bed. However, because that was how his days that he worked went, he tended to go easy on himself on days off, and he hadn't really had the opportunity to lately as every spare moment was spent with Kakashi in the apartment. Tenzo hadn't really been able to let loose and just be him since he moved in and he had to admit, he was really missing the freedom. So he proceeded to laze about the apartment and allow himself to relax fully, indulging in his hobbies and leisurely bathing.

As nighttime fell, he began to get worried about Kakashi. He thought about going out to look for him, but if Kakashi was hard to find in the day, he was impossible to find at night. The man had been trained to be a shadow, and he was damn good at his job. Tenzo decided against it, figuring Kakashi was probably fine. Instead, he laid in bed and thought about how he normally ended his days off before he moved in with Kakashi. He looked furtively around the empty room, as though he expected Kakashi to jump out of the shadows, as he thought about what he would really like to do.

Now, Tenzo had never particularly considered himself to be an overly sexual man, but he was still a man. He had urges, and with Kakashi always at the place where he lived (as it was still hard for him to consider Kakashi's apartment home), it was difficult to satisfy himself as often as he was used to. Because of his career and largely solitary lifestyle, Tenzo had little to no time for finding partners, and as a result, most of his sexual frustration was tugged out with his hand. He'd had a few one night stands, and a brief disastrous relationship with a former ANBU who now refused to so much as acknowledge his existence (he would NEVER make that mistake again), but was largely too busy to seek out anything more lasting, as much as this sometimes left him feeling lonely.

However, it had been months since he had been able to have a really good solo session. Sure, he had jerked off in the shower plenty, or taken advantage of the time Kakashi spent on missions, but when he never really knew when the Copy Ninja would return, he couldn't truly enjoy them like he liked to. But today… well, he was just horny enough that he figured he'd risk it.

A slow smile drifted across his face as he slid his hand down his bare chest towards his tented pants, imagining that it was his lover touching him. He teased himself as his fingers drifted just under the waistband of his pants, but not close enough. His breath was already starting to come more harshly, and he knew he should be embarrassed that he was being so easy, but that was the benefit of doing this by himself; there was no one here to judge him. He could imagine whatever he wanted, say whatever he wanted, do whatever he wanted. So, he didn't hesitate to slip his hand further into his pants, grasping himself tightly and slowly stroking. He moaned as he tugged himself torturously slowly, relishing in the freedom and reckless abandon of his pleasure. He knew that Kakashi could come in any time, but for some reason, that only made him harder.

Suddenly, an image of Kakashi's face came unbidden to his mind. The sharp angles and soft skin, the way the light from the bedside lamp had cast gentle shadows over the beautiful features. He thought about how Kakashi had grabbed him and held him to his chest most of the night, and suddenly, his imagination ran away with him before his sanity could catch up.

He imagined Kakashi flipping him onto his back, taking control. Tenzo's fingers lightly trailed everywhere that he imagined Kakashi kissing over his bare chest. His hand slipped from his cock, as Kakashi was taking his sweet time reaching what he most desired. Tenzo held his eyes closed as he imagined Kakashi slipping down his body, his hands sliding sensually down Tenzo's sides. His fingers curled in his the band of his sweats and slowly, ever so slowly, he slid them down until his cock sprang forth.

He imagined the heat he would be able to see in Kakashi's eyes as he stared hungrily at his cock, glancing up to Tenzo one last time before taking him in his mouth. Tenzo cried out as he allowed his hand to regain its hold of his cock, rubbing his thumb over the bead of precome gathering at the tip and used it as lube for the first stroke down. He moaned as he allowed his hand to drift slowly over his cock, twisting his wrist just right as he imagined how sexy his current bedmate would look twisting his head in just the same motions as Tenzo's cock disappeared time and time again between the man's pale pink lips. Tenzo groaned as the Kakashi in his imagination sped up. He was getting close to his release, and though he almost wanted this fantasy to last longer, he was so aroused and he needed to cum so badly.

He imagined Kakashi shooting him one last look as he took Tenzo deep into his throat, and Tenzo cried out as he came, the results of his orgasm spurting over his hand and up onto his chest. His hand relaxed, still gripping his cock in a loose fist. He slumped comfortably against the pillows, a smile drifting languidly over his face. He hadn't felt so relaxed in months. He knew he should move to clean up, but that was the best orgasm he'd had long time, and he was enjoying basking in the post-coital glow it was causing in him. He lay like that for several minutes, before reluctantly deciding to get up to head to the bathroom. He had no idea when Kakashi would be home, so he should… He gasped. Kakashi!

He pulled his hand sharply away from his cock, his eyes widening as he realized what had just happened. Worse, thinking back on the events that had just transpired, he realized with horror that the cry that had slid from his lips as he peaked had been a rapturous moan of Kakashi's name. Tenzo sighed as he struggled to calm his breathing. It was a good thing Kakashi hadn't heard him, he thought as he headed to the bathroom to clean up.

xXx

Kakashi stood outside the bedroom window, wide-eyed as he listened to Tenzo's labored breathing. He didn't look in, refused to invade Tenzo's privacy that way. Sitting here listening was bad enough, but… well, it was his house. And his bed, for that matter. The fact that he was respecting Tenzo's privacy enough to wait until he was done was more than what could be expected of a man in his situation normally. At least, that's what he told himself.

In reality, he was trying to ignore the hardness quickly growing in his own pants as his mind conjured an image for him of just what was going on just inside that window. When Tenzo started moaning, it was all Kakashi could do to keep his cock in his own pants, though he found himself palming it thoughtlessly and forced himself to stop. However, he froze entirely when he heard a breathless cry of his name echo through the room. Had he been seen? He waited with bated breath for a furious Tenzo to drag him inside, but heard nothing but the slam of the bathroom door. What had that been about? Had… had Tenzo just been masturbating… to him?

It was with a racing heart and too many questions in his mind that Kakashi climbed gracefully through the window, willing away his own erection as he stripped and climbed into bed. He thought about this morning, when he had awoken curled around Tenzo with his morning wood poking the younger man in the ass. He had intentionally run off and stayed out all day with the hopes that by the time he returned, Tenzo had forgiven him for cuddling him so close all night. However, it seemed that if Tenzo was aware of the compromising situation they had been in this morning, he certainly didn't seem to mind. So, Kakashi lay in wait for the man to come out, hoping he would get some answers.

When Tenzo came out of the bathroom to the sight of Kakashi on the bed, his long naked torso twisting gracefully as he rocked his shoulders over the mattress, stretching before settling in for the night, he started. He wasn't sure he was ready to face Kakashi so quickly after the shock of what he had just done mere moments ago, and his cheeks flamed as he thought about it. He had only just finished… was it possible that Kakashi had been in the apartment at the time? Had he heard him? Tenzo tried to discreetly discern the answers to his questions with a sly look at the man in question. Despite his affiliation with dogs, Tenzo couldn't help but notice his almost feline grace, his body that seemed to work just perfectly.

"Tenzo?" Kakashi's questioning voice brought the ANBU back to his senses, and he blushed furiously as he realized he had been blatantly staring at Kakashi's bare, sculpted chest. He quickly looked away, determinedly forcing his mind away from the guilt gnawing at him over what had just taken place just inches from where Kakashi lay within the last hour.

He jolted his eyes up to the amused ninja's face. "Huh?" he stuttered out. ' Way to sound like a total moron, genius,' he thought to himself.

Kakashi smirked. "You weren't paying attention to a word I was saying, were you?"

"Uh… no, I guess not… sorry, senpai. I was… distracted…"

Kakashi laughed, a sexy, husky sound. "As I noticed. I have to admit, Tenzo, I was under the distinct impression that you were straight."

Tenzo blushed furiously. "I… I don't kn-know what you're t-talking about, senpai… I am…"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Then I guess I missed a class in sex ed. I would have sworn you were enjoying the view…" he teased, his eyes sliding seductively down Tenzo's body. Tenzo shivered at the feelings Kakashi's lecherous gaze was stirring in him, realizing with a jolt that he was hard despite his recent orgasm, and his position was doing nothing to hide that fact from Kakashi. Tenzo's blush deepened, and he scrambled into bed, curling on his side facing away from Kakashi as he grumbled at the other man to shut up.

He felt a teasing hand on his hip and he jolted in shock at Kakashi's forwardness. He knew the other man was a pervert, but hadn't actually expected him to try and touch him. The touch caused him to turn to the older man in defense, throwing the unwanted hand off of him and holding his hands defensively in front of him.

"Wh-what are you doing, senpai?!"

Kakashi smirked. "Well, I figured since I caused your 'problem', the least I can do is help you out with it." The husky words were whispered seductively next to his ear, hot breath ghosting over the shell and causing Tenzo to shudder.

"I… you did not cause any 'problem'!" Tenzo cried indignantly, sitting up and shoving the jonin away, inadvertently causing the sheet to pull over his tented groin. He fought back a moan at the pleasant friction on his oversensitive groin.

Kakashi's eyebrow raised. "Oh, really? Then why is it that one minute you're staring at me, and the next you're harder than a diamond in an ice storm?"

Tenzo blushed even more, the color drifting down his neck to dust over the top of his chest. "I… You know that guys don't always work that way… I was just thinking of… other things…"

Kakashi laughed. "Oh, come on, Tenzo. You don't have to pretend with me. Why deny yourself something you so clearly want? I think I've already made it obvious that I'm more than willing to oblige whatever fantasies you were having about me. In fact," He grabbed Tenzo's hand, and placed it over his own groin. Tenzo gasped and jerked his hand away from the hardness that twitched at his touch. "You can even say that it excites me to see that you react so well to me."

"I'm n-not interested, Kakashi." With that, Tenzo glared at his senpai, and turned away. He heard Kakashi chuckling, and clamped his pillow over his ears, allowing himself to fall into an uneasy sleep for the second night in a row.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was staring thoughtfully at his bedpartner's back. Despite Tenzo's protests, everything he had physically seen and heard tonight would seem to paint a different picture than Tenzo wanted to admit to. Kakashi had to admit, he was curious. The question now: how did he get the answers he wanted without going too far and pushing away one of his closest friends?


	5. Month 4

So, I apologize that it's been so long without an update! I've been updating on Archive, but I'm hardly on FF so I won't lie, I forgot to upload the last few chapters here. So here all three of them are in one shot to make up for it! Hope you like them!

xXx

"Thank you for the wonderful evening, Tenzo," the woman smiled as she kissed him on the cheek outside her apartment. She fluttered her eyelids at him seductively as she spoke. "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?"

Tenzo sighed, looking wistfully at the door. "I would love to, but… I made a commitment, and I am a man of my word. Plus, I haven't seen some of these guys in years, and it'll be nice to get together with them," he explained, smiling apologetically.

She pouted, but sidled up close to Tenzo and wrapped herself in his arms, tucking her face into his neck as she whispered, "Then I guess you'll just have to make it up to me later, huh?"

Tenzo raised an eyebrow, but his smile turned hungry as he kissed her. "But of course. Can't have rumors getting out that I'm allowing my woman to be dissatisfied, now can I?"

"Excellent. I'm looking forward to it," she purred, winking as she slipped from his arms and closed the door.

Tenzo stared at the closed door for a moment before shaking himself and heading towards the bar where he was meeting Kakashi and their former ANBU teammates. He and Emi had been dating for nearly three weeks now, and he thought it was going very well. She had caught up with him during a chance encounter in the marketplace, and Kakashi had encouraged him to accept her invitation to dinner, though he had been his usual confusing self about it. However, Kakashi had been acting strangely ever since, and Tenzo didn't know what to do about it. He didn't want to think that it might be because of what he now knew about Kakashi, because he wasn't sure he'd be comfortable finishing out their required year of 'marriage' if Kakashi's attraction to him was more than a passing fancy. Of course, if he ever wanted to have a relationship with Emi, he'd obviously have to complete the year, as he couldn't legally marry Emi while he was already married to Kakashi. He just seriously hoped that if Kakashi truly hoped for something between the two of them, he never learned about it. The very idea sent shivers through him, though it made Tenzo uneasy that he couldn't promise the shivers were a bad thing.

He did feel bad, however, as he had yet to tell Emi about Kakashi and his true role in his life. In all reality, he wasn't sure he wanted to. After all, he and Kakashi only had nine months left in this farce of a marriage, and then Tenzo was free to do as he pleased. And the first thing he planned to do was get out and stay as far away from Kakashi as possible for as long as it took this confusion about the other man to calm down. Since the incident in their shared apartment just over a month ago now, he had been having trouble even being in the same room with the Copy Ninja, something that seemed to cause Kakashi equal levels of exasperation and amusement. On the occasion that Kakashi did get him to converse, he stuttered and blushed like a teenager with a crush, and there had been several more incidents where Emi's feminine, soft face had slowly morphed into a more chiseled jawline with a cute little mole right beneath the lip and allowed him to bring himself to a more explosive orgasm than he had ever experienced before.

Tenzo shook himself as he realized his feet had automatically directed him to the bar that he and his former ANBU teammates had always met up at, and he could see Shotaro clapping Kakashi on the shoulder with his heavy hand, standing close and saying something directly into his ear. The image made him scowl, and he chalked it up to being mad at Kakashi for the predicament he was currently experiencing. He stalked into the bar and came up to his friends, and when they saw the anger stewing on his face, Kakashi just raised a concerned and inquisitive eyebrow while his friends just chuckled, Shotaro whistling low.

"What the hell's got your panties in a twist, _kitty?_ " he teased.

"Shut up, Hyuga," he growled. Kakashi frowned for a second, and it looked like all his friends were taken aback by his response. He cleared his throat. "You know I hate it when you call me that," he said in lieu of an explanation. They seemed to accept it, with Shintaro even muttering an apology, and that he 'didn't know how much he hated it'. A lie, as Tenzo had made it perfectly clear that just because he was the youngest out of their group did NOT mean that they got to treat him like a kid, but he let it slide. He didn't want them to think anything was going on with him, after all. They could get really pesky when they thought something was wrong with him. Eventually, the incident seemed to be forgotten, and they easily slipped back into their old habits.

At some point in the night, Tenzo found himself engaged in conversation with Kinshiro. During a lilt in conversation, he found his mind drifting. It was nice to get to talk to the man after so long. Once they had both been given their own teams, they were kept so busy and had a hard time keeping in contact due to schedule conflicts. Tenzo would have to say he missed him. Second only to Kakashi, he would say Kinshiro was his closest friend in the ANBU.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a sudden question. "So, how long living with him did it take you to get out that Hatake is gay?" Kinshiro asked. Tenzo turned, gaping at him. His former teammate let out a laugh, clapping Tenzo on the back. "Yeah, we knew. We all know. You were the only one that didn't, and Hatake seemed pretty dead set on keeping it from you."

Tenzo's brows furrowed, and his gaze traveled to the man laughing with Natsu and Shotaro. He turned back to Kinshiro. "What do you mean? Why?"

Kinshiro looked surprised for a moment, then laughed again. "You mean you really never figured it out?"

Tenzo let out an irritated sigh. "Obviously," he said through gritted teeth. "Look, are you going to tell me, or do I have to go ask Kakashi?"

Kinshiro held up his hands and surrender, as though in a panic. "Whoa, now, let's not get hasty here. Don't worry, I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Tenzo raise and eyebrow at his quick turnaround, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he stayed quiet. "Look, you were young when you joined the team, so I think Hatake just wanted to protect you from everything that went on… you know, _behind_ _the_ _scenes."_

Tenzo shook his head, his face expressing his confusion, as well as his frustration with this conversation. Everything Kinshiro said only left him with more questions, and no answers. "And what the hell does that mean?"

Kinshiro sighed. "I'm starting to understand why Hatake wanted you to stay oblivious. Maybe you really do have a shot," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. When Tenzo glared at him, he held up his hands again in surrender. "Okay, okay, answers, I get it. Look, you were still little when you joined the team. You were, what, 14? I think Hatake just wanted to protect you from the fact that, well, we were all fucking each other."

Tenzo's jaw dropped, and he just stared. "What? I mean, when? How…?"

"You mean, how did you not notice? Don't worry, it's nothing on your skills, Hatake made us all promise that you would never find out what was going on. He got pretty protective of you, now that I think on it. Maybe a little too much."

Tenzo frowned again. "What do you mean?"

Kinshiro sighed. "Look, man, it's not my place..."

Tenzo glared at him. "So, you think I should just go ask Kakashi? You know, just walk up to him right now and ask him about why he hid this giant orgy from me?"

"Damn man, you're putting me in a really tough spot here. Look, I know you're frustrated, but it's really not my place to comment on what I think Hatake's motives might have been." Kinshiro scratched absently at the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable.

Tenzo thought for a moment, watching Kakashi, who shot him a quizzical look. He waved the man off with a genial smile before looking back at Kinshiro. "Maybe so," he said. "But you started this, and you're damn well going to finish it."

Another deep sigh, but Kinshiro seemed willing to concede. "One night, not too long after you joined the team, one of the guys started, you know, putting the moves on you. Hatake, he didn't really take it well. He beat the hell out of that guy, and by our next mission, the guy had been traded off of our team. Next time we happened to get together, before you joined us, I think he told us all in no uncertain terms that if any of us ever started making designs on you, he would make sure the same thing happened to us. Some of the guys were more… persistent than others. ANBU has some fucked up characters, and I think they wanted a piece in making you as bad as them. Despite promising that they would be traded, Hatake quickly realized that he couldn't trade everyone just for hitting on you. So, he started taking that attention for himself. Our team quickly learned that anyone who hit on you would end up in bed with Hatake that night, and unfortunately, they started taking advantage of it."

Tons of gaped at his old friend and horror. "You mean, they were using me to get to Kakashi?"

"Yeah, and it was working. It got to the point where Hatake spent more nights with someone than without."

Kind of swallowed hard. "And you? Did you ever… take advantage of him?"

Kinshiro waved his hands madly. "No, no, God no. I mean, I slept with the man, but I didn't use you to do it. Using a kid to get to a man, that's fucking low. No, the time I spent with Kakashi, I fucking earned."

Tenzo ignored the heat that suddenly shot through his gut, but it only intensified when he turned and saw Shotaro's leg pressed up against Kakashi's on the bar stool. He took a deep breath, suddenly realizing his hands were clenched into fists at his side. He forced them to relax. "What about him?" he asked, angry that his voice definitely didn't sound as unaffected as he had wanted it to.

Kinshiro sighed. "Look, Tenzo, I don't even care anymore if I have to face Kakashi's wrath. This is a conversation you should be having with him, not me. Just, tell him you're interested. I think you'll find that the sentiment isn't unwelcome."

Tenzo turned to glare at his friend. "What the hell does that mean?!"

Kinshiro just shook his head and laughed. "Don't take too long to figure it out, Tenzo. If you do, someone else might get there first." And with that, the blond gave him a sympathetic smile and headed over to join the others, leaving Tenzo seething.

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully, and before long, they all decided to call it a night. While they were walking home, Kakashi noticed that Tenzo been very quiet. "Something the matter there, kohai?" he teased.

Tenzo shook himself from his stupor. He smiled awkwardly at his Senpai, putting a hand behind his head nervously. "Oh no, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Kakashi raise an eyebrow, but figured if Tenzo didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't any of his business. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and continued walking on his way to their apartment in silence. Tenzo was silent for a while as well, before his mouth got ahead of his brain. "Did you sleep with anyone on our ANBU team?"

Kakashi turn to look at him, visibly startled. "Well, I mean, yeah. Why do you ask?" he asked, obviously flustered.

Tenzo turn back to the road ahead of them, and worked hard to look nonchalant as he shrugged. "Dunno, just wondering, I guess."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, and he studied Tenzo carefully. "What did Kinshiro tell you?" he asked dangerously.

"Nothing," Tenzo said, swallowing hard.

Kakashi sighed, stopping in the street just a few blocks from their apartment. "Look, Tenzo, I don't know what the hell he told you, but please just remember, it was a different time then… I was different then. I was fucked up, damaged, broken. I mean, hell, I still am, I just… have more holding me together now."

Tenzo was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, it was so quiet it was hard to hear. "Why are you telling me this?"

Kakashi looked puzzled. "Well, after what Kinshiro told you, I thought…"

Tenzo shook his head, his frustration starting to show despite his best efforts to hide it. "That's not what I mean, Kakashi. Why are _you_ talking about _this_?! You hate feelings. You avoid them like the plague. So why are you of all people willingly talking about your feelings with me?"

Kakashi seemed flustered. "I… well, I just thought…"

Tenzo turned away, and took a deep breath. "Kakashi, when we first moved in together, you admitted to me that… that you find me attractive." At this, he directed his eyes back to Kakashi, who looked away and shifted uncomfortably. "Is it more than that? Because the way you act around me, the way you act _about_ me, it just seems like more."

Kakashi stared at the ground between them, but Tenzo just waited, his eyes on the top of the silver-haired jonin's head. He knew Kakashi could feel his stare, and was perfectly comfortable maintaining this stand-off until Kakashi said something. Finally, the older man gave in. "Yes."

Tenzo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his hammering heart. "Yes what?" he asked quietly, wanting to make sure he didn't misunderstand.

Kakashi was silent for another minute, biting his lip under his mask. "Yes, it's more than just attraction. I… I have feelings for you. I have for a long time."

Tenzo nodded slowly, trying to control his anger. "And that's why you never told me you were gay? That's why you didn't want me to know that you were fucking our entire team behind my back? God dammit, Kakashi, I may have been young, but you and I both know I was never a child! I could have taken it!"

Kakashi's head whipped up and he glared at him. "No, Tenzo, I don't think you could have. When I pulled you out of ROOT, you barely understood what socialization was. Danzo had fucked with your head so much that your first taste of friendship was what I offered, and Lord knows I am a shitty example of that, too."

Tenzo glared at his husband. "So what, you thought I was too weak to deal with it? Poor damaged Tenzo, needs constant protection."

"Look, Tenzo, I didn't protect you because I thought you couldn't handle it. I protected you because I knew you could. That was the problem!" Kakashi yelled, frustrated.

Tenzo allowed his anger to give way to confusion. "Why was that a problem?"

"Because, Tenzo," Kakashi began, sighing in exhaustion. "For most ANBU, they're at the peak of fucked up. Something catastrophic happened in their lives, they cut themselves off emotionally, and they were assigned to ANBU in the hopes of preventing a complete mental breakdown by allowing them to hide. Most ANBU are so damaged that they'll never be able to go back to a simpler status, a simpler life. How many retired ANBU do you honestly know, Tenzo?"

Tenzo thought, frowning. His mind raced to find someone, but the list of people he had known who were no longer in ANBU flashed through his mind like a rapid-fire slideshow: faces of those he used to know, all with one common feature. The giant red 'DECEASED' that he knew was stamped on their personnel files. "Well, I… I'm sure that's just because the jobs ANBU get are hard…" he whispered, falling heavily into a chair. It was a thought that had honestly never crossed his mind before.

"I think you already know that's not true," Kakashi said gently. "I mean, those guys are never getting out," he added, gesturing in the direction of the bar. "They'll die in ANBU. They know it, and I know it. They expected nothing else for their lives the minute they got their conscription notices. That's what ANBU is: a glorified death sentence. A way for a suicidal shinobi to end it with honor. Why I hid the darker aspects of ANBU from you. It wasn't because you were weak, and it wasn't because you were young. It was because you actually had a chance. For the rest of us, ANBU was the best we were gonna get. For you, it was the best you had ever had. Your earliest memories are of being in a test tube in Orochimaru's lab. After that, you were in ROOT. Better, but still not an ideal situation. And then, after I dragged you out of there, you joined the ANBU. May not be the healthiest place to be in general, but it is the healthiest place you've ever been. This thing you have with Emi right now, I saw that possibility for you. For the rest of us, that was never going to be an option, and we all knew it when we signed up. But for you? Your life just keeps getting better. You go from one unhealthy place and every time you move on the next one is better. Maybe I was more invested in you than I should have been, maybe it was an unhealthy way of preventing you from being like me. But dammit, Tenzo, you had a chance, and I wasn't going to let a bunch of fuck-ups like the rest of us take that away."

Tenzo stared at the man, in complete shock at what he had just heard. He had always known that Kakashi had a bit of a soft spot for him, but he never expected that it went so deeply. He turned away from Kakashi, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Come on, Tenzo, let's just go home and forget about this, okay?" Kakashi asked quietly. Pleadingly.

Tenzo shook his head. "I… I just need to clear my head," he said, and with that he walked away.

Kakashi leaned against the wall next to him and let his head thunk painfully against the brick. "Shit." He took a few deep breaths before pushing himself off the wall, looking around to make sure their spat hadn't been watched, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed home alone.

xXx

Kakashi was rudely awoken by a phone call at 1:45 that morning. He looked over, but the bed beside him was empty. He sighed. He wasn't entirely surprised, but he had hoped Tenzo would get over it faster. He looked at the caller ID and frowned when he saw Asuma's name on the screen. "What's up, Asuma?" he asked, already more awake and pulling on his pants as he expected an emergency.

"Uh… so there's a situation at the bar… I think you should come down."

Kakashi paused. "What kind of situation?" he asked apprehensively.

"I… well, it's just… you should come down." His friend sounded uncomfortable, so he sighed and finished dressing.

"All right, where at?"

xXx

Kakashi stared at the belligerently drunk Tenzo as he stumbled to the now-closed bar and banged on the door. He and Asuma were on a roof across the street, watching.

"So, he did what now?"

Asuma shook his head, cigarette dangling from his lips. "Well, he was saying stuff… about you, about him. Look, I'm sorry, I'm just really not comfortable repeating some of the stuff he said…"

Kakashi shook his head, placing a hand over his forehead. "It's fine. Thanks for helping. I'm sorry about this, by the way."

Asuma shrugged. "Not a problem. Know you'd do it for me."

Kakashi grinned at him. "Oh, really? Kurenai the type of girl that gets drunk and gets all mushy?" he teased, laughing when the other man turned bright red and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "not my girlfriend".

The laugh drew Tenzo's attention to them, and he frowned up at them. "What are you lookin' at?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He could practically smell the alcohol on him from over here. It wasn't surprising, really, that he was so drunk. Tenzo had never been more than a casual drinker, had never been drunk to Kakashi's knowledge, and rarely had more than a drink or two. Tonight, he had been at two bars, and if he had come straight here after leaving Kakashi, he had been here for three hours. They jumped down from the roof, and Tenzo gracelessly turned his body to follow his gaze.

Tenzo glared at Asuma as he drunkenly stumbled over to the pair. "So what, you wanna piece of my husband, too? Huh? Did you fuck him like everyone else? Everyone but me?" he slurred.

The man's eyes widened comically, and a blush rose over his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and pulled his hand away from Kakashi's shoulder as though he'd been burned. "Well, I, uh… I think you've got it from here," he muttered.

"Yeah. Thanks again for calling me, Asuma. And I'm really sorry about him. He's not normally such an ass," Kakashi said quietly, glaring at Tenzo.

The man, Asuma, rubbed his chin absentmindedly, looking anywhere but at the other two. "Yeah, no, it's fine. I, uh, I'm gonna go," he said, jabbing his thumb in a random direction and leaving.

Kakashi sighed. "You're a fucking mess, Tenzo," he said, his voice showing his irritation.

Tenzo sneered at him uncharacteristically. "Oh, yeah? And whose fault is that, _senpai_?" he asked mockingly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Given the amount of alcohol you've consumed, I'd say yours," he said drily. Before Tenzo could retort, he sighed. "Come on, let's just get you home."

"Oh yeah? You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Tenzo sneered.

Kakashi took a deep breath, and thought of his comfy bed that right about now, he wished he hadn't left. "Very much so." That seemed to shut Tenzo up and he managed to get him home without incident. That is, until he led Tenzo to the bathroom and instructed him to shower, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was not getting in Kakashi's bed smelling like that.

Tenzo started sneering again. "Oh, yeah? Make me."

Kakashi gritted his teeth and threw his hands in the air. "Fine, whatever, sleep on the couch. What the hell do I care?" He turned to leave the bathroom, but suddenly found himself turned around, pressed against the wall by Tenzo's weight. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Just giving you what you want. You want me, right? Well, here I fucking am." He reached between them and put his hand on Kakashi's groin. Kakashi gasped, a blush rising on his cheeks in shame because sure enough, he was fully hard already. Tenzo leaned in to try to kiss Kakashi, but Kakashi wrenched away, leaving his mask down but preventing the kiss.

"Get off me, Tenzo," Kakashi gritted through his teeth.

Tenzo only pressed closer in response. "Why? Isn't this what you want, Kakashi? Me all over you, giving you all my attention? You wanna fuck me until I scream your name?"

Kakashi swallowed hard, pushing at the other man's weight. He was starting to panic, and his breath was already coming faster. But Tenzo was right. His panic wasn't from what Tenzo was doing, but from what his reaction would be tomorrow. But his body… it was reacting to having a beautiful man that Kakashi had loved from afar for years all over him, and he was starting to lose it. He couldn't afford to lose it, but Tenzo was doing things to him, and he was going to go crazy if he didn't touch the brunette back soon. So, as much as he hated himself for it, he gave in. When Tenzo tried again to press his lips to Kakashi's, he didn't stop him. He had lost the strength to stop him. Instead, he moaned as Tenzo's lips made contact, and gave in, kissing back as though his life depended on it. Hell, at this point, maybe it did.

They kissed until they were breathless, forced to pull back for air, and Kakashi just let instinct take over, his lips kissing and biting a trail over Tenzo's jaw.

"Kakashi…" Tenzo moaned as the man's lips traveled to his throat, hands coming up to tangle in silver hair.

Kakashi chuckled deep in his throat. "Mmmm, Tenzo… so beautiful…" he muttered as he laved his tongue over his kohai's pulse point, causing the man's body to arch into him. He flipped them so that he was instead the one pressing Tenzo against the wall, and pulled off his shirt. He kissed down his chest, hands roaming and exploring. He quickly sank down onto his knees, unfastening Tenzo's pants.

Meanwhile, Tenzo watched him with lust-glazed eyes, and that only drove him crazier. "Fuck, Tenzo, I can't control myself when you look at me like that," he murmured, burying his face in the V near Tenzo's groin, and the shiver he felt in the body beneath him made him almost lose control entirely.

"So don't." Tenzo's voice was rough, deep, almost unrecognizable, and it did things to Kakashi that he was not proud of. Within seconds, he had Tenzo's pants and underwear off, and was kneeling in front of him, staring at his proudly jutting cock reverently. "Fuck," he said quietly, looking down to try and get himself under control. This was wrong, Tenzo was drunk, he knew that, but… he had wanted this for so long, and no one had ever said his moral compass pointed due north. With that thought, his hands slid teasingly up Tenzo's thighs, causing the younger man to shudder, and he didn't stop until Tenzo's cock was in one hand and his other was fondling the other man's balls. Tenzo moaned loudly, and Kakashi looked up at him, a devilish grin on his handsome face.

"Tell me what you want, Tenzo," Kakashi whispered huskily. Tenzo moaned again as Kakashi teasingly pumped his cock, hot breath ghosting over his head.

"Kakashi… please…"

The jonin smirked. "Please what, Tenzo?"

Tenzo growled in frustration as Kakashi ceased all action. "Take me in your mouth , please!" he cried, arching desperately into Kakashi's still hand. Kakashi smirked, teasing the tip of Tenzo's cock with his tongue and appreciating the deep, throaty moan the other man let out. He slid down Tenzo's length all the way to the base, burying the man deep in his throat, before he moaned around Tenzo's cock.

The vibrations almost pushed Tenzo over the edge immediately, but he fought it, wanting more of this immense pleasure. "Oh, fuck, Kakashi!" he moaned, his hand traveling down to fist in silver hair as the jonin sucked him expertly. He allowed his hand to follow the rhythm Kakashi had set, moaning as he was buried deep again and again. "Oh, God… senpai, I need to…"

Kakashi moaned around him again, this time a legitimately pleasured moan from the sound of his kohai addressing him so formally. He had imagined the roleplay, of course, but he never could have imagined how thrilling and intense the real thing felt. As the vibrations of his moan teased the head of the cock in his mouth, Tenzo came with a cry, his hips bucking wildly against the mouth tightly enclosing him as Kakashi sucked him dry, swallowing all of his essence. Tenzo's body relaxed against the sheets, his breath heaving and body feeling light in the aftermath of what felt like the most intense orgasm of his life. Kakashi smirked as he came up to rest on his side facing Tenzo, his head propped up on his hand as he stared at the brunette, appreciating the sight of his kohai post-orgasm.

When Tenzo had properly come down from his high, his alcohol-addled gaze turned to Kakashi, and as the man smirked at him, he was the most beautiful thing the ANBU had ever seen. He grinned maniacally as an idea came to him, and was satisfied to see Kakashi's shock and confusion for a second before the older man was pinned on his back, Tenzo's mouth covering his as his hands drifted to Kakashi's waist. Kakashi gasped as Tenzo's fingers drifted into his pants, just brushing the tip of Kakashi's arousal as his mouth traveled to mark his neck.

"Mmmm…. Tenzo…." Kakashi moaned as the man's uncoordinated hands pushed at the waistband of his pants, his eyes hungrily taking in each inch of flesh as it was exposed. Kakashi felt cool air on the tip of his length that jolted him temporarily back to his senses. He reached down and grabbed Tenzo's wrists in a vice-like grip, stopping the horny ANBU from disrobing him with a disappointed groan.

"Tenzo… we should stop," he said, trying to keep his voice firm and authoritative despite loving how Tenzo's hands fought desperately against his hold to resume their previous action.

Tenzo let out a pouty whine. "Why? Am I not gay enough for you?" he slurred.

Kakashi let out a low, husky chuckle, the arousal still evident in his voice. "As a matter of fact, no. You're not. As evidenced by the fact that you have a girlfriend who I'm assuming is very much unaware of what you're doing right now."

That seemed to snap Tenzo out of his haze of lust. His hands stopped fighting to reach Kakashi's cock, and though the drunk jonin was grateful that he no longer had to exert the effort to stop the brunette, he missed the feeling of being desperately desired by the man he was deeply attracted to. "Fuck… Emi. God, what the hell am I doing?" he yelled, climbing quickly off of Kakashi and standing. He lost his coordination and fell into the wall as he stood so quickly. Kakashi sat up and reached out a hand to steady him, which he stared at as if it would bite him.

"I was ready to… and you… you did THAT… to me!" Tenzo yelled, eyes wide and horrified. "Why would you do that?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Because I wanted to, and you certainly seemed to want it," he said drily. Tenzo blushed furiously.

"I…I thought you were someone else…" he lied, not at all smoothly.

Kakashi's eyebrow raised even higher, if that was possible. "Oh, really? How many Kakashi's do you know whose name you moan while you're having your dick sucked?"

"Oh, shut up," he muttered, blushing both from the alcohol in his system and from Kakashi's insinuation.

Kakashi sighed. "Come on, Tenzo, get in the shower. I promise, no funny business." Tenzo gave Kakashi a suspicious glare, but realized he was too tired to fight the other man after that intense orgasm, so he climbed into the shower and allowed Kakashi to help him wash and dry. When he got out, he climbed straight into bed, not caring that his hair was still wet, turning on his side to face away from Kakashi, curled up as tight as he could. He heard Kakashi sigh behind him, but drifted off easily as his exhausted and sated body sought the blissful release of sleep.

When he awoke the next morning, Kakashi was not in the apartment at all, but had left a glass of water, two aspirin, and a note on Tenzo's bedside table. He immediately recognized the chicken scratch that Kakashi called handwriting.

 _Tenzo-_

 _Got called away on a mission. Should be back in a few days. Feel better._

 _-Kakashi_

Tenzo slumped back against the pillows, holding his head. He tried to think of what had happened last night. He remembered the bar, Kakashi had to help him home, and then he remembered a really amazing blow job… from _Kakashi._ He blanched, eyes flying open to stare straight ahead at the wall. Tenzo tried to get his breathing under control as he fought to think rationally. Okay, he had fucked up. Now he had to decide what to do about it.


	6. Month 5

**WARNING: Explicit sexual content between two males to follow**

xXx

Kakashi sighed. Tenzo hadn't spoken to him in the week since he had returned from his mission, not since the _incident_. In fact, he had hardly seen the man, who was spending most of his nights at Emi's. And despite the fact that Kakashi knew it was wrong, he remembered it perfectly, and it was all he could think about. The way Tenzo had writhed underneath him, the way he had begged for more from Kakashi, how he had so confidently slid his pants down his hips, intent evident in his eyes. Kakashi wasn't sure whether he was angrier at himself for blowing Tenzo, or for stopping the man from reciprocating.

"The fuck is the matter with you, man?" Genma asked, eyeing the copy ninja curiously. "That's like, the sixteenth sigh I've heard in ten minutes."

Kakashi rolled his eyes at his friend's exaggeration. "Oh, nothing," he muttered, staring out at the forests from their position sitting on the village gates. They were on a special night patrol duty, as the Hokage suspected there was a strong enemy ninja that had plans to attack the village some night this week. He and Genma had gotten the lucky job of taking the first night watch from the pair of chunin that would usually guard the gates. As it was night, the gates were closed, so they watched from the top of the large wall that contained their city, able to see the city stretching for miles behind them by the dim streetlights. Kakashi preferred to look into the dark forests, to watch the shadows swirl as the moonlight shifted. He found it relaxing, the darkness that had always felt so familiar to him, almost like an old friend.

Genma brought him out of his reverie with his scoff. "Yeah, right, like I'm going to believe that."

Kakashi groaned, his head falling back against the post he was leaning against. "Just leave it alone, Genma."

Suddenly, the voice was close behind him, the tokubetsu jonin's breath hot on his ear. "You know I'm not going to do that, Kakashi," the man's voice practically purred. Kakashi felt a jolt of arousal shoot through him at the way his name fell from his former lover's tongue. Kakashi gave the man a half-hearted shove, but unfortunately, he easily regained his balance before he fell from the wall. He shot the jonin a fake hurt look that quickly broke into a carefree grin when he realized he wasn't fooling his partner. "Come on, Kashi, just tell me."

Kakashi sighed, knowing that he didn't want to spend this entire night with Genma pestering him about his home situation. "I was just thinking."

Genma got a knowing look on his face. "About Tenzo, right?" he asked, grinning. Kakashi shot him a surprised look. "Oh, come on, you've had a thing for Tenzo ever since he was old enough to fuck. And now you're living with him? In a one-bedroom apartment? You're not as mysterious as you like to think, Kakashi." Genma continued to grin at his former lover. "I'll get it out of you sooner or later. Did something happen between you two?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Kakashi just sighed. "He's just not speaking to me."

Genma raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? And why's that?"

Kakashi blushed lightly. "Because… I kind of blew him one night after we went out with some friends," he muttered.

Genma's eyes widened. "Wait, for real? You seriously blew him?" Kakashi nodded, and Genma laughed. "That's the worst reason I've ever heard for not talking to someone. Especially since I've BEEN blown by you. He should be buying you gifts and begging you not to leave him. I still have dreams about that mouth of yours wrapped around my cock."

Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, well, unfortunately his reaction has been very different. I would talk to him about it, but he shuts me down every time I try with that creepy look he has."

Genma shuddered as he imagined the face that Tenzo used to shut down arguments, either in ANBU or between his friends. "Yeah, well. He probably just feels bad. After all, he had a girlfriend last week already, right? Tenzo doesn't strike me as the type that is okay with cheating on his partners, no matter the situation."

Kakashi thought about it. "Yeah, I guess you're probably right. It may not have anything to do with me at all, huh?" He chuckled a little at his own narcissism. They were silent for most of the rest of the night, occasionally striking up a conversation when the mood struck, but content with the silence as well. Kakashi was grateful for the time to think.

xXx

The two jonin parted ways when their chunin relief arrived the next morning, shortly after sunrise. Kakashi couldn't help but think of how great it would be to take a quick shower and fall into bed when he got home. He planned to do just that, but only moments after arriving home (and to his disappointment, finding that Tenzo was not home) he heard a knock on his door. He opened it to find the tokubetsu jonin he had left just minutes ago, standing there crying with a pack on his back. Kakashi quickly ushered him inside to get him out of the prying eyes of the village's early risers.

He set about to make the man some tea… and some coffee for himself. He would definitely need it. "What's wrong, Genma?" he asked, knowing that while it was what his friend needed, he would live to regret it.

The man in question sniffled. "I broke up with Ebisu… Apparently, he's been taking advantage of every overnight mission I've had for the past few months to screw some blond bitch from across the hall in our bed." Kakashi's eyes widened, but he didn't allow his friend to see his surprise. "I need somewhere to stay for a few days, until I can get my stuff and get myself a new place." Genma shot Kakashi pleading eyes, and though Kakashi was still busying himself with the beverages, he could feel it on his back.

He sighed. "Well, it's fine by me, but I'll have to run it by Tenzo. This is his place, too." Genma shot Kakashi a smile of relief.

"Thanks, man. You know I wouldn't ask, but…" He trailed off and his eyes started to water.

"Not a problem!" Kakashi said hastily to chase off another round of tears. They were silent as they finished their drinks, and Kakashi was grateful for that. Emotions had never been his strong suit, and he much preferred to avoid even his own, let alone others. When they were finished, he put their cups in the sink, too tired to wash them, and went to the linen closet to fetch blankets. He came back out to the living room to hand them to Genma, and found the man examining the place.

"You know, it doesn't really look like Tenzo lives here, to be honest."

Kakashi just shrugged. "Well, it's only for a year, so most of his stuff is in storage. He only gave up his apartment because there was no point paying for a place he wouldn't be living for a year, but he didn't really feel the need to get comfortable here as he isn't planning to stay."

Genma looked at Kakashi, contemplating. "Does that bother you, that he doesn't plan to stay?"

Kakashi sighed. "He's straight, Gen. I've always known that this pathetic crush I have on him was pointless, so no, it doesn't bother me."

Genma seemed to think about that for a second before he stepped closer to Kakashi, running a finger suggestively over the front of the silver-haired jonin's vest. "Is he here now?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his behavior, then sighed again. "Gen, are you just doing this to get back at Ebisu?"

Genma made a frustrated face, but quickly recovered. "So what if I am? Are you honestly going to say you're not thinking of all the great nights we've had together right now?"

Kakashi took a deep breath. "Gen, I won't take advantage of you like that. You're hurting, and you're not thinking clearly. I'm not going to ask you to do something that I know you're going to regret."

Genma laughed. "Come on, Kakashi, I've never regretted being with you. How long has it been since you got laid, anyway? Have you been with anyone since Tenzo moved in?"

Kakashi cleared his throat uncomfortably, because in truth, it had actually been a decent time before Tenzo since he had slept with anyone. "My lack of sex life is irrelevant. The point is, you need to sleep now, and think about sex later."

Genma grinned devilishly, sliding up tight against Kakashi's back as the other man turned away from him. "Is it really, though? Because it seems that _someone_ doesn't agree with that," he teased, reaching around Kakashi's waist to palm at his groin. Kakashi gasped at the contact, unthinkingly pressing forward into Genma's hand, then immediately cursing when he realized what he had done. Genma continued, slowly kneading the other man. "Kakashi, Tenzo is off with his girlfriend, and do you really think they've spent all night _cuddling_? He certainly isn't acting like a monk, why should you be?"

Kakashi knew he shouldn't do this. But he was near desperate, having spent the last few months in a bed with a very attractive man he couldn't have, and lonely thanks to the other man's response to their most recent encounter. So, he found himself moaning as he whirled around and pushed Genma onto his back on the couch, not breaking the kiss.

"Please, Kakashi," Genma begged, having noticed that Kakashi was off in his own world. "You're not taking advantage… we can comfort each other." Kakashi groaned, wanting to believe Genma but unable to convince himself, until Genma's lips were on his ear. "I want you to make me feel good again," Genma whispered to him. Kakashi groaned again, but for a different reason this time, as Genma bucked his hips to press his arousal to Kakashi's stomach, and Kakashi groaned as he muttered "I'm going to hell," before leaning in to kiss the brunette passionately.

Genma moaned as he wrapped his legs around Kakashi, and muttered in his ear, "I'll see you there," before biting into the lobe. That pushed Kakashi over the edge and he picked up the other man, carrying him into the bedroom.

xXx

Tenzo entered the apartment, his mind trying to process out the situation he and Kakashi were in. He had been thinking about it a lot since the incident happened, and though he had been avoiding Kakashi since, he was starting to think that he might actually want just the opposite. Despite the fact that he had never felt an attraction towards a man before, he couldn't stop thinking about Kakashi _that_ way now. But at the same time, he knew the stigma that still existed against gays, particularly for shinobi. Not by the other shinobi themselves, but by those in command. They claimed they were protecting their soldiers, what with the all male locker rooms and excessive amounts of testosterone and all that, but everyone knew it was just because the old bats on the council were stuck in the past. He imagined that was the main reason Kakashi had been careful to never publicize his orientation beyond those who shared his interest.

Suddenly, Tenzo became aware of an unusual noise in the apartment. He tensed, the hair on the back of his neck rising and he grabbed a kunai from one of their hiding places. Dropping into a crouch, he stalked towards the bedroom, the source of the noise. He found the door open in the hopes of catching the intruder unaware, and heard a shocked gasp come from the silver-haired jonin on his knees on the bed and a frustrated groan from the brunette beneath him.

Tenzo stood, staring at the pair, and Kakashi tried to say something, but he apologized quickly and sprinted from the room like a startled deer. Kakashi moved to follow him, but Genma wrapped his legs around his waist, pulling Kakashi deeper inside of him. "Don't you dare stop now," he growled, pulling the silver-haired jonin into a searing kiss. Kakashi forgot about everything but the sensation of being inside of Genma, Genma's tongue swirling with his own, and again, he lost himself in the bliss.

xXx

Tenzo closed the door behind him, quietly leaning back against it. Though he couldn't explain the feeling, he wanted Kakashi to come after him. He wanted what he and Kakashi had done before to mean something. He had even thought about breaking up with Emi, trying to see what this strange thing that was happening with Kakashi really was. 'Apparently, I was just a warm body to him,' he thought bitterly.

He collapsed to the floor, his head resting in his hands. But it shot up as he heard Genma moan through the door. "Oh, God, Kakashi… I'm so close…" followed just a minute later by the man's husky voice screaming expletives as he came. He heard Kakashi grunt out his own release, the sound punctuated by what Tenzo could only assume was the rhythm of his thrusts. He found that bile was rising in his throat, and he ran to the bathroom to throw up, but was unable to.

He sat there for what felt like hours. Kakashi had seen him, he knew he had. He thought he had seen something like guilt on Kakashi's face, but it couldn't have been. If it was, Kakashi would have come after him. As it was, it didn't seem the jonin had even thought to stop what he was doing. Well, who he was doing. Tenzo quickly rose off the bathroom floor and ran out the front door, so distraught he didn't even close it behind him as he ran blindly into the street below, no idea where he was going.

xXx

Kakashi panted as he recovered from his orgasm, Genma's strong legs still holding him in place inside of him. The man below him looked as though he had just experienced absolute ecstasy, and Kakashi had to agree that he hadn't had sex that good in a long time, but he was worried about Tenzo. He had thought he heard a light thump of a body collapsing to the ground outside the door, but then Genma had been cumming, and he lost himself in the tight squeeze of Genma's contracting muscle around his member.

"Fuck, 'Kashi. That was amazing," Genma gasped out. "God, I missed that."

Kakashi panted out, "Let me go, Genma. I have to get to Tenzo…" Genma groaned, not releasing the man between his legs.

"Come on, Kashi. Thought we could go another round?" he teased suggestively.

Kakashi looked pleadingly at his lover. The man sighed as his legs fell back to the bed. Kakashi got up, pulling on his boxers before carefully opening the door. He followed the hallway, and saw that the door was left open. He panicked. Had someone managed to abduct Tenzo? He heard footsteps behind him before Genma scoffed.

"Little deer ran away scared," he chuckled. "He's probably just never seen two guys fucking." The man wrapped his arms around Kakashi's waist as Kakashi pushed the door shut, his brows furrowed. Genma was probably right… he had probably just left to give them their privacy.

"What do you say we go back in there and make another embarrassing scene for him, just in case he comes back?" Genma's voice whispered seductively in his ear as he nibbled the lobe. A shiver ran down Kakashi's spine, and he turned swiftly and claimed the man's mouth with a growl.

xXx

Tenzo walked aimlessly through the streets as the morning crowd flooded them. He had marched into their house that morning with every intention of catching Kakashi fresh off his overnight mission, to talk to him about what had happened between them and what it meant. 'Now I know he just wanted to get laid,' he thought bitterly. But, at the same time, another part of him corrected himself. 'If that was all he wanted, he didn't get it. He got me off, but wouldn't let me touch him,' he reminded himself. He was so confused, both by his feelings and by Kakashi's behavior.

He had considered breaking up with Emi, contemplating pursuing a relationship with Kakashi to see where it led. But apparently, Kakashi was interested in pursuing Genma. Tenzo shuddered as what he had seen came unbidden to his mind, the sight of the man he was just starting to admit to himself that he may have feelings for buried balls-deep in another man, both of them panting and moaning loudly as they hurtled towards their climax. He found that he had wandered to one of his favorite thinking spots, and spent most of the day there. The sun was setting as he made his way home. He wondered bitterly if Genma would still be there, before realizing that he was jealous of the man.

The thought caused him to stop walking briefly, as he realized that he had no right to be upset with Kakashi. Sure, Kakashi had given him a blow job (the most amazing blow job he had ever received in his life), but he was still with his girlfriend. He had given Kakashi no indication that he wanted to be with him. In fact, he had done quite the opposite, avoiding him out of embarrassment and not talking to him when they were together. Kakashi probably thought he was angry at him. Maybe he even went to Genma for comfort. Tenzo sighed.

When he arrived at the apartment, Genma was indeed still there, and had made himself comfortable on their couch in nothing but his sweats. The sight made Tenzo scowl, but he worked to keep his face pleasant. No need to upset Kakashi, especially when he planned to have a very personal conversation with the man, who typically shied away from all things emotional to begin with. If he showed his jealousy before he had even had a chance to propose a relationship between the two of them, he knew he would never get the chance to explore his feelings for the silver-haired jonin.

When Tenzo walked through the door, Kakashi felt a weight lift off him. Genma had spent all day convincing him not to go after Tenzo, that he was fine, but Kakashi wasn't sure he believed the man. Still, he had allowed him to seduce his concerns away and distract him with hours of mind-blowing sex that he had desperately needed. As concerned as he had been about Tenzo, and no matter how confusing the situation they were in was, it had been far too long since he had had a partner as willing and eager as Genma, and he fully expected Genma to enter a new relationship soon (with the exception of Kakashi, Genma was a serial monogamist, and even then, Genma had tried to get Kakashi to settle down with him several times to no avail), so he planned to take full advantage while he could. He was grateful they had decided to take a shower together an hour ago so they were clothed and decent when Tenzo had returned home.

"Ah, there's the little deer! See, Kakashi, all your worrying was for nothing!" Genma cried from the couch, grinning broadly. Tenzo scowled at Genma's obvious mockery, but his heart leapt hearing Kakashi had worried about him. Kakashi came rushing out of the kitchen, drying his hands as he did so. Tenzo tried to steady his heart beat as the man's concerned gaze checked him over, smiling when he decided that he was unharmed.

"Tenzo, would you mind if we spoke in the bedroom for a second?" he asked quietly, inclining his head. Tenzo gulped but nodded. He followed Kakashi almost blindly, nearly running into the man's back when he stopped to ask Genma to keep an eye on the food he was cooking. When they made it to the bedroom, Tenzo turned to face Kakashi, putting plenty of distance between them. He refused to look at the bed and relive his two most recent memories of it.

"Look, Tenzo, about what happened that night…" Kakashi started, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Suddenly, Tenzo found that his throat was dry, and he couldn't think straight. He was getting light-headed, and his knees were weak as he broke out in a sweat. All he could hear in his head were mutters on the street, his friends looking down on him for the way his heart felt. He swallowed hard. He just couldn't do it. "Forget it. Doesn't matter," Tenzo said coldly, even though his heart clenched at the words. He hid his own pain, and saw Kakashi's flicker briefly across his face, but the man quickly masked it and nodded.

"Alright then. Well, Genma's asked if he can stay here for a few nights. He'll crash on the couch, obviously, but he and Ebisu broke up and he needs someplace to stay until he can get a new place for himself. Does that work for you?" Kakashi's voice was suddenly businesslike.

"How about he just sleeps in the bed with you, make it easier for him to be your fuck buddy, and I can stay with Emi?" Tenzo sneered.

Kakashi glared. "Because. That would jeopardize our divorce, and you've already risked enough with how long you've been gone because you want to act like a coward instead of dealing with what happened between us," he said coldly.

Tenzo smirked. "For someone who didn't want us to deal with this whole marriage thing, you sure are set on getting your damn divorce."

"God damnit, Tenzo, I can't fucking do this anymore! I can't take living with you and not being with you, okay?! I need that damn divorce so I can move on with my fucking life! You're not gay, great, got it. But I fucking am, so you have no right to be upset that I'm sleeping with someone in my own damn apartment!" Kakashi yelled.

Tenzo's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "You… you're right. I'm sorry…" he said shakily.

Kakashi ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Me, too. I shouldn't have yelled. I know this damn situation isn't any more your fault than it is mine. It's just…"

"Complicated?"

Kakashi laughed bitterly. "Yeah." He walked out of the room and Tenzo followed slowly, a pit of dread in his stomach. When he got out to the kitchenette, Genma held out a cup of tea without looking at him.

"Made some tea while you guys talked. Is it cool with you if I stay? It should only be for a few days, and I'll just crash on the couch."

Tenzo set the cup down on the counter and shook his head. "For tonight, you and Kakashi can take the bedroom. I'll stay with Emi, and tomorrow, well, we'll figure something out then."

Genma nodded awkwardly. "Okay," was all he said, before taking a sip of his tea. Tenzo could see Kakashi watching the exchange from the couch, his own cup set in its saucer on the table. He determinedly didn't look at the other man as he strode out the door.


	7. Month 6

Genma had ended up staying with them for about two weeks. Tenzo had taken to staying at Emi's more. He knew he shouldn't, as it could risk them qualifying for their divorce, but he could only handle so much of Genma's innuendos to Kakashi, the way the tokujo always seemed to be touching Kakashi, or cooing to him. And, of course, there was the fact that the two were fucking whenever Tenzo wasn't around (and occasionally when he was, always instigated by Genma and Kakashi would follow reluctantly, with a quick glance towards Tenzo, who refused to show his anger at the situation, leading Kakashi to sigh and follow). He had quickly decided that if Genma was an ANBU, his mask would be a rabbit, cuz he sure fucked like one.

He looked at Emi's black hair as her head rose and fell with the steady breaths from his chest. He sighed. She didn't deserve this. He had cheated on her within two weeks of them beginning their relationship, and was now having feelings for the man he had been with and who he lived with, and was staying with Emi because Kakashi was with another. Now, that wasn't to say he didn't have feelings for Emi, too, because he did. He was just so lost and confused. And he knew that if he went home now, he would find Kakashi and Genma together, in THEIR bed, either still fucking or cuddling after. Even though Genma now had a place of his own, he still seemed to be there all the time. He knew he had no right, but the thought made him unbelievably angry.

He wanted Genma out of their apartment, out of their lives. He wanted Kakashi all to himself again, he realized. But that wasn't fair to the older man. Tenzo may never be ready to give Kakashi what he wanted, what he deserved. Genma may be the bane of Tenzo's existence right now, but maybe he would. Maybe he was ready now. Kakashi deserved that.

Tenzo sighed again as he watched the clouds shift outside Emi's bedroom window, allowing the moon to peek out and illuminate the small room. He resolved that in the morning, he would go home and tell Kakashi that he would be staying primarily there, Genma or no Genma. If Kakashi and Genma were to be in a relationship, it would complicate things that Kakashi and Tenzo were already married. So, Tenzo would give Kakashi the divorce they had both wanted so fervently just months ago. Now, Tenzo didn't know what he wanted, but he knew that his heart thudded to a momentary halt at the thought of not living with Kakashi anymore, whatever the reason.

xXx

Eventually, Tenzo decided to face the music and stay home most of the time, and he had been surprised that Genma hadn't been around at all. Tenzo glanced over at his roommate surreptitiously. Kakashi was spread carelessly across his side of the bed, the blankets draped over his legs hanging dangerously low on his hips, one arm propped against the headboard behind his head as he read from Icha Icha. Tenzo swallowed nervously. "So… I haven't seen Genma around recently."

Kakashi looked up, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Yeah? And what caused this revelation?" he asked teasingly.

Tenzo scowled. "It was just an observation." He turned away to the closet, reaching in to grab a pair of sweats.

Kakashi sighed, laying his book down. "To answer you, no, Genma hasn't been around lately. Probably won't be. He's been pretty hot and heavy with someone else for the last week or so, and I haven't seen him since they got together."

Tenzo blinked. "Oh. Uh… and you, you're… OK?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Yes, I'm fine. I like Gen, but he's a serial monogamist. I'm the only friend with benefits that's ever managed to stay that way, and it's not for lack of trying on his part. This new guy seems pretty into him, and honestly, I don't think he'll be back around. It feels different this time." He thought for a moment, before adding, "I'm happy for him. He deserves to have a real relationship."

Tenzo nodded, frowning a little as he considered the new information. He sat cautiously at the end of the bed, folding one foot under his thigh and staring at his lap. He could feel Kakashi's eyes on him, but wanted to wait until he had his thoughts together to speak, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Who is it?'

"Namiashi Raidou. From T&I."

Tenzo's eyes widened a fraction. "Oh, I didn't know he was gay."

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't think he is, really. He just prefers a shinobi as a partner, as do many of us, and given how few kunoichi actually make it to the jonin level… his options are pretty slim. So, like a lot of us, gender kind of becomes a non issue."

"But why only shinobi? Plenty of civilians have a lot to offer, especially to people in our field."

Kakashi seemed to think for a moment. "As you know, Raidou has some pretty significant, very visible scarring. When the evidence of our profession is that physically obvious, it's what most civilians, even some light-duty shinobi see as the glory of a shinobi. But they don't understand what those scars cost. I think Raidou prefers his partners to be shinobi for the same reason I do. In order to feel comfortable revealing our scarred body to someone, we want to know they understand the sacrifice behind our scars, not just the glory that came from our victories." Kakashi was murmuring by the end, his fingers tracing absentmindedly over the scar that bisected his eye. When he realized he was doing it, he chuckled nervously and dropped his hand. "But, you know, that's just a guess."

Tenzo swallowed hard and forced himself to meet Kakashi's eyes. "Would you let me understand your scars?"

Kakashi's eye widened, and he groaned as he dropped further into the pillows, covering his eyes with one arm. "Fuck, Tenz, you can't say shit like that."

Tenzo instantly flew into panic mode. "I… I'm sorry… that was stupid... I just… I don't know how to flirt with a guy…"

Kakashi leaned up on his elbows, his eyes suspicious. "Wait, you were _trying_ to flirt with me? Why?"

Tenzo's gaze flew back to his hands, wringing nervously in his lap. "Well, I… I've been thinking lately, and… I really, _really_ liked what we did that night, when I was drunk. Well, what you did. And I… well, you…" he trailed off, mumbling.

Kakashi sighed. "Look, Tenzo, I won't pretend that I don't want to be with you. If you're willing to try it, I'll be right there. But, it doesn't sound like you're particularly sure of yourself right now, and I'm not going to invest myself any more than I already am when I don't know how long you're going to want to play this game. I've never been in a relationship, and that's largely because I've been so into you, it didn't seem fair to anyone I may want to date. And I understand if that scares you, if that makes you change your mind. But it's something you need to know if you're thinking about us, about there even _being_ an us to talk about. So I'm not letting anything happen yet, but when you make up your mind, let me know."

Tenzo looked up, and Kakashi looked serious, but not upset. "You… you're not mad?"

Kakashi laughed, his face soft. "Why would I be mad? You're being honest with me, and I would never expect you to be able to figure out in such a short amount of time what it took me years to understand and come to terms with. In all honestly, it makes me ecstatic that you're even willing to consider it, but I just don't know that I'd recover if this didn't work out. If you want to be with me, I'm going to expect that you're at least willing to try for forever."

Tenzo nodded, biting his lip. "Ok. Thank you, Kakashi."

xXx

A week later, they were just finishing dinner. It had been a quiet affair. Tenzo hadn't seen Emi since they spoke, telling her everytime she called that he was busy with work, and while he had been trying to take the time away from her to think, he found that was difficult when Kakashi was everywhere. He had managed to exhaust his chakra again on a two-day long mission he had taken at the beginning of the week, and was now on medical leave again. Tenzo was starting to think Kakashi had two modes: mission, and medical leave due to chakra exhaustion incurred on the mission. Maybe that was why he was so lazy all the time…

"Tenz?"

Tenzo's eyes shot up to meet Kakashi's, which were watching him with concern. "Huh?"

"You've been staring at me for about ten minutes. Is there something you want to talk about?"

Tenzo blushed as his eyes dropped instantly to his plate, realizing Kakashi was right. While he thought about Kakashi, he had just allowed his eyes to unconsciously rove the face of the man of his affections. And as he thought about just how much detail he had been taking in, he decided then and there that he was going to break things off with Emi. Obviously whatever he felt for Kakashi was not faked, nor was it confusion. But, he still wasn't sure that he could say it was what Kakashi needed it to be. Kakashi had said he needed to be able to at least consider forever, and right now, his head was such a jumble that he could barely even make decisions for today, let alone a future.

"I just… I'm trying to make sense of all this," he said quietly. He chanced a glance upward just as Kakashi nodded sagely.

"Yeah, I remember that part. That was hell."

Tenzo looked up in confusion. "What part?"

"The 'realizing I was actually gay and not just messing around part'."

Tenzo bit his lip and was silent for a moment. Kakashi seemed to take his silence as the end of the conversation and stood to grab their dishes and take them to the sink. "How did you know?" he asked desperately.

Kakashi paused with his own plate in hand, the other hand halfway to Tenzo's, but he looked thoughtful before setting it back down and sitting again. "Well, when I was in ANBU, the only girl we ever had on our team was Yugao, and I liked her too much to risk our friendship for some cheap sex to make me feel better. So for me, it was the first time I was ever with a woman, which was shortly after I left ANBU. I was pissed, I was emotional, and I just wanted to get out of my head. My entire former ANBU team was out on a mission, and it was the standard jonin I was pissed at, so I went to a bar and picked up some easy chick. You know the type, flirt a little, mention your dangerous job, and she's pretty much already riding your dick. But when we actually got back to her place… I realized I really didn't enjoy her riding my dick. I wanted her to be a man. So the next night, I went out and got one, and it was WAY better. That's how I knew."

Tenzo scowled. "So much for that," he murmured.

Kakashi looked confused. "So much for what?"

"I thought you might have some sage advice for how to deal with… with these fucking feelings! But if it was that easy for you, you probably never felt any of them! Fuck, I've always envied you that. You never care what anyone else thinks of you. I wish I could be that way…" he ended on a whisper. Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder, and his eyes flicked up to meet Kakashi's. The man was now standing next to him, smiling gently.

"It was easy for me to figure out I like guys, yeah. But I never said the feelings were easy. It was hard, reconciling myself with being gay. It shouldn't have been, seeing as how even then, I'd only ever had sex with a woman once, but more men than I cared to admit. Look, Tenzo, I wish I had the answers you want. But I didn't know how to deal with the feelings when they were mine either. You just have to work through it in your own way."

Tenzo nodded, slumping miserably. Kakashi patted his shoulder before grabbing the dishes and clearing them away. As he walked back through the dining area toward the bedroom, Tenzo called after him. He turned, his face inquisitive. "What if I don't figure it out fast enough?" Tenzo asked him.

He looked confused as he turned. "Well, there's not really a standard for how long it takes to come to terms with it. It really all depends on the person."

Tenzo groaned in frustration, standing up and stepping closer to the jonin. "That's not what I meant," he said quietly, grabbing the other's hand.

"Oh, that," Kakashi said as his eyes widened, and he looked down at their now entwined hands. He breathed deeply before looking up, a fond smile lighting his whole face. He reached up to cup Tenzo's cheek, and looked straight into his eyes. "There's no time limit for that, either," he said gently. He moved slowly toward Tenzo, giving the other time to stop him. When he wasn't stopped, he gently kissed Tenzo, whose eyes closed unconsciously upon contact. The kiss was short, chaste, not nearly enough. Tenzo chased his lips as he pulled back, and when he opened his eyes, Kakashi was looking at him with amusement in his eyes. "Tenzo, I've been waiting for you since the day I met you. I'm sure as hell not going to throw that all away once I've found out that I actually have a chance."

Tenzo swallowed, staring right back into Kakashi's eyes, wondering how best to phrase his next question. "Don't sleep with anyone else," he blurted. Kakashi looked surprised and he panicked. "I know I don't have any right to ask, since I'm not ready to sleep with you yet and won't even tell you if we're together or if we aren't, but…" he rambled, his eyes wandering in his embarrassment.

Kakashi pressed a finger to his lips, and his eyes flew to focus on amused onyx. "Don't worry about any of that. Just figure things out, and I promise, no one else."

Tenzo sighed with relief, leaning into the palm still resting on his cheek. "Good," he said quietly. "Me, too. No one else." He thought for a second before chuckling. "It's gonna be hard enough to figure this shit out as is, no need to drag anyone else into it."

Kakashi smiled, allowing his thumb to stroke Tenzo's jawbone. "Would you let me kiss you again? Just once?"

Tenzo bit his lip, nodding. Kakashi's smile brightened, and Tenzo's heart started to beat faster. His eyes closed as Kakashi leaned in. He felt the gentle press of Kakashi's lips, and unconsciously leaned into his warmth. Kakashi took this as a sign to wrap his hand around Tenzo's waist, tugging their bodies closer until their chests were pressed together. He twisted his head a little and kissed Tenzo again, deeper this time, and a gentle sweep of his tongue across Tenzo's bottom lip had the other groaning as he opened his mouth to the request. Kakashi slid his tongue in, but kept the kiss slow and gentle.

When Kakashi pulled back, Tenzo opened his eyes dazedly, grateful for Kakashi's arms holding him up. He looked up at the man whose eyes were so full of overwhelming fondness that he could hardly stand it. Kakashi released him when he could stand on his own, and he cleared his throat. "Right. Well, that was…"

"Amazing?" Kakashi finished for him, a smug look on his face.

Tenzo sent him an exasperated look. "A little full of yourself there, Hatake?" he teased, grateful for the return to their usual banter.

Kakashi laughed. "It's not being full of myself if it's true, my sweet little kohai," he teased back, heading for the bedroom. Tenzo yelped as his ass was lightly swatted when Kakashi passed behind him.

"You!" he cried, chasing after him. Tenzo could hear Kakashi laughing as he managed to shut himself in the bathroom just in time to block the wood vine that Tenzo created to catch him. He sighed, shaking his head, but there was a smile on his face. He had missed this casual contact with Kakashi, and was grateful that for now, the tension was resolved. He decided not to worry about it tonight. After all, his problems would still be his problems in the morning, and right now, he had revenge to plan...


End file.
